Six inmates die as coronavirus panic spreads through Italian prisons

Italian authorities were struggling on Monday to restore order in prisons up and down the country after coronavirus-related riots led to six inmates’ deaths and dozens of escapes.

Inmates are concerned about the risk of being infected in prison and are angry at a recent government decision to restrict visits as part of a national strategy to contain the outbreak.

The six dead are inmates from Modena prison, where protests broke out on Sunday. Modena is one of the provinces of northern Italy which is under lockdown.

Three inmates died inside the institution, while another three passed away after being transferred to other jails, the head of the prison service Francesco Basentini told RAI public television.

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RAI said four other prisoners are in a critical state in hospital, while three prison guards and seven prison infirmary staff suffered mild injuries.

According to Uilpa, a prison police union, the inmates died of methadone overdoses after raiding the prison’s infirmary, but this had yet to be confirmed by autopsies.

Another serious situation was reported in Foggia, in the south-east, where dozens of prisoners managed to escape, according to prison police union representatives.

“The situation is catastrophic, in Foggia 50 inmates have escaped,” Aldo Di Giacomo of the Spp trade union told the Adnkronos news agency.

The ANSA news agency later said the numbers were higher, and that 34 people were still at large, while police had recaptured “more than 40.”

Justice Minister Alfredo Bonafede was summoned by the Senate to provide an explanation of the situation and was due to brief the chamber at 5 pm (1600 GMT) on Wednesday.

Bonafede’s ministry said in a statement that riots broke out in 22 prisons, caused significant damage, and that at several institutions, rioting was still underway.

In Melfi, in the southern Basilicata region, four guards were taken hostage by prisoners, while in Rieti, north of Rome, “the entire institution” has been taken over by prisoners, the ministry said.

Rioting first broke out at a prison in Salerno on Saturday and has since spread nationwide.

In central Milan, inmates climbed onto the roof of San Vittore prison and held up banners calling for “freedom” and “amnesty” while riot police surrounded the building.

Two prison guards were briefly taken hostage by inmates in Pavia, near Milan, on Sunday, and other violent protests were reported, including in Rome, Naples, Turin and Prato, with some leading to fires.

The riots were triggered by a government decree on the weekend that suspended visits except for in “exceptional cases.”

It made provisions for prisoners to be allowed to talk to friends and relatives via phone or video, but also called for day release permits to be restricted.

Susanna Marietti from Antigone, a prisoners’ rights association, told dpa that sports and cultural activities inside prisons had also been suspended.

Prisoners had not been properly informed, she said, fuelling panic. “If people outside [prisons] are scared [about the coronavirus], imagine what it’s like inside,” she said.

Italy is facing the worst outbreak of the virus in Europe. On Monday, the country reported 9,172 coronavirus cases, including 463 fatalities.

On Facebook, Antigone President Patrizio Gonnella called on inmates to stop rioting, and urged authorities to allow more convicts to serve their sentences under house arrest, rather than in jail.

On the other hand, far-right opposition leader Matteo Salvini called for an “iron-fist” response and spoke against any concession towards inmates, including switches from custody to house arrest. (dpa)