Lithuanian prisons face countrywide hunger strike

Prisoners at Lithuanian prisons and other penal institution started a hunger strike on Tuesday, protesting against amendments of the Code of Punishment.

Expressing their disapproval with the new changes, which have come into force as of Tuesday, the prisoners are refusing from meals provided by the prisons.

According to Lithuanian prison department, more than 1,000 prisoners are holding the strike, or around one seventh of all convicts.

"We have been preparing for this kind of situation, we have been visiting penal institutions, explaining, but there was no feedback," Donatas Matuiza, the deputy director general of the prison department, told Lithuanian national radio LRT.

"This is the law adopted by Lithuanian parliament and signed by the president. We need to hear some arguments to change it, and so far there aren't any," he added, noting that the new legislation is being implemented in accordance with European practices.

The prisoners are protesting against amendments of the Code of Punishment.

According to Iustitia Est Fundamentum, a nongovernment organization, the prisoners are unhappy with a ban for their children to attend long-duration meetings, restrictions on shopping and number of items allowed at penal institutions as well as restrictions on smoking.

"During the recent two days our nongovernmental organization has received many phone calls from convicts from various Lithuanian penal institutions informing that they are to start a hunger strike as of Sept. 1," Arturas Bartasius, the chairman of the organization, said in an announcement.

However, the prison department has stated the protest cannot be considered as hunger strike, since prisoners have refused only from the penal institutions' meal and continue to purchase food at special shops. Endit