11 jail guards under house arrest in Italy for torturing inmates

Dozens of prison guards were under investigation, and at least 11 of them were under house arrest in Italy on Wednesday on suspicion of torture and abuse of power against prisoners, the authorities said.

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The operation was ordered by prosecutors in Trapani, Sicily region, at the end of a three-year-long probe triggered by inmates’ reports about routine abuse and violence within the prison facility, ‘Xinhua’ news agency reported.

Overall, 46 jail officers were being probed. Investigators obtained video footage that confirmed the prisoners’ complaints, showing guards systematically beating and mistreating inmates in some isolated cells.

Addressing a press conference, Trapani chief prosecutor Gabriele Paci said violence against inmates was not episodic, but “became a sort of method to ensure order within the prison”.

In early August, the Italian Parliament passed a law to improve jail life conditions, allowing inmates to make more phone calls and streamlining rules to obtain early release or alternative measures to the prison.