CHELYABINSK, December 5 (Itar-Tass) — Investigators searched offices at penitentiary # 6 in Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk regions, where a riot took place last month.
"The searches are part of the probe into criminal cases," the press service of the regional department of the Investigative Committee /SK/ told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
On November 24, a 500-strong group of inmates at penitentiary # 6 refused to obey the demands by the prison administration and insisted on easing the regulations. The regional SK department launched a pre-investigation check. The inmates demand was backed by their relatives who had come to the penitentiary to lend support. Eight special task force police were injured when breaking up the illegal rally, the authorities reported.
The SK opened five criminal cases over riots in the maximum security penitentiary in Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk region, and use of violence on special task force police, SK spokesman Vladimir Markin told Tass.
One criminal case was opened over extortion of money from inmates by prison personnel under threats of violence," the spokesman said.
An SK group for the Chelyabinsk region that worked at the Kopeisk prison, took more than 120 reports from inmates, many of which tell about extortion by prison staff of the sums ranging from 5,000 to 90,000 roubles in the period from 2008 through November 2012, under the threat of creating hard prison conditions or use of physical violence," the SK said.