Hunger strikers win victory in Greek prison protest

After an 18 - day hunger strike involving over half of Greece's prison population the government has said that it will agree to 14 out of the inmate's 16 demands. These include the shortening of sentences and improvements in basic hygiene and medical services.

Justice minister, Sotiris Hadzigakis has agreed to present legislation to parliament that is aimed at alleviating the severe overcrowding in the prison system by allowing the early release of 5500 prisoner by April 2009.

Last year the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) noted that Athen's Kordyllio high security facility, which was designed to house 640 prisoner held 2043 and that just one prison officer was on duty supervising a wing containing over 400 prisoners. The committee's report also condemned the treatment of detainees by prison officers and other law enforcement officials (click here to report in full) and the poor conditions generally in which inmates were held in jails throughout the country.

According to the national daily, Eleutherotypia one inmate a week dies whilst being held in custody in Greece.