(Bloomberg) --
Luxembourg’s main prison erupted in violence overnight after about 25 inmates started rioting, forcing several police units to intervene.
The correctional facility of Schrassig, located to the east of Luxembourg City, is subject to strict confinement measures amid rising numbers of infections with the Covid-19 virus.
While prisons haven’t yet confirmed any cases of the illness, inmates can no longer receive visitors, or meet their lawyers. A government decree from March 25 limits court procedures in criminal matters to written communications, with prisoners or their attorneys no longer being required to appear in person.
With a goal to contain the spread of the virus, the government had to put in place an emergency plan for the prisons. It will use phone or video to compensate for the lack of visits, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Thursday.
Other European countries have also been dealing with restrictions on prison life imposed because of the outbreak.
Earlier this month in Italy, at least six people died in rioting as inmates staged violent protests in 27 prisons over their treatment during the outbreak.
Last week, French judges and lawyers warned that the country should “drastically” cut prisoner numbers in its overcrowded jails to prevent the Covid-19 virus from taking hold and to avoid riots.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Advertisement