Justice minister responds to hunger strike and complaints at new Liepāja prison
Latvia's justice minister Edvards Smiltēns has addressed inmate protests at the new Liepāja prison, saying security rules and efforts to curb prison subculture will not be relaxed. Prison administration confirms four inmates are refusing food, while inmates themselves speak of dozens.
Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns (AS) has commented on social media on unrest among inmates at the newly built Liepāja prison. He said the facility was constructed according to Latvian and international standards and is meant to ensure not just confinement but safe, lawful punishment aimed at rehabilitation.
Smiltēns said the so-called hunger strike is in fact a refusal of prison-provided meals, since inmates have the option of buying food at the prison shop. He also stressed that outdoor exercise is provided in line with regulations — at least one hour a day — and that air quality in cells is maintained through a mechanical ventilation system that is regularly serviced and shows no detected defects.
Closed windows as a security measure
The minister explained that much of the inmates' dissatisfaction stems from the fact that cell windows cannot be opened. In his view, this is not a construction flaw but a deliberate security decision meant to prevent unauthorized communication between cells and the passing of prohibited items. According to Smiltēns, some inmates are accustomed to the old prison system and its informal order, so the protests are an attempt to restore previous conditions.
Conflicting figures on strike scale
According to Latvian Television (LTV), inmates claim several dozen people are refusing food and that the protest has lasted nearly a week, with ten people submitting formal complaints. Prison administration disputes these numbers, saying seven complaints about a hunger strike were received on Monday, while currently four inmates are refusing prison-provided meals; they can still buy food or receive it from other inmates.
Inmates are most dissatisfied with restricted access to outdoor walks compared with their previous experience at Jelgava prison. Acting Liepāja prison director Artūrs Freimanis attributed the difference to infrastructure — the new facility has no inner courtyard, and for security reasons inmates from different units are not gathered together. Under the current schedule, inmates can go outside four times for an hour each, plus one shorter walk of up to 15 minutes.
