ZAGREB, March 27, 2020 - Prisoners in Split's Bilice prison have started a strike, refusing to eat prison food out of fear that COVID-19 could enter the prison, and Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković called on them on Thursday to end the strike.
"Someone has told them that detainees under investigation are innocent under the Constitution and should be released," Bošnjaković said. He explained that they are innocent until proven guilty, but under the law "they have to be isolated during the investigation."
He said that care was being taken within the system to maintain hygiene and to reduce risks, adding that not one carrier of the disease had been identified in the entire prison system but that some officers were in self-isolation, which is not critical.
Bošnjaković said that there was a significant drop in the number of people being sent to prison. The recommendation is that those cases who are a danger to society should be sent to prison while misdemeanour cases will be dealt with after the crisis ends, he said.
Bošnjaković added that the courts are only handling urgent cases because of the coronavirus crisis, while other cases are being deferred.
"The primary message is that the courts are functioning. The thing that needs to be said is that they are handling urgent cases like protecting the rights of minors, violent crimes and determining prison sentences," he told reporters.
More coronavirus news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
