Investigation Launched Into Inmate's Death That Reportedly Sparked Prison Riot In Siberia

An investigation has been launched into the death of an inmate that reportedly caused a prison riot in Siberia.

The Novosibirsk Regional Prosecutor's Office said on November 12 that the probe was launched into the "murder" of a 39-year-old inmate in the Correctional Colony No. 13.

The inmate, whose identity was not disclosed, was found dead a day earlier, the statement said, adding that prosecutors had started an inspection of the penitentiary.

Media reports on November 11 cited sources as saying that inmates began to riot after the dead man's body showed signs of being beaten.

To quash the riot, the reports said, the prison's administration called riot police and the chief of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) regional branch, Andrei Paleto, to the site.

The Investigative Committee's directorate in the Novosibirsk region denied the reports, calling them false. FSIN said initially that "all penitentiaries in the region are operating without any problems," but announced later that there had been a fight between inmates and that one prisoner was killed.

The Correctional Colony No. 13 is a maximum-security penitentiary with the capacity to house more than 1,000 inmates. It is located in the village of Raisino in the Uba district of the Novosibirsk region.

For years, prisoners in Russian penitentiaries have rioted to protest jail conditions, often maiming themselves to draw attention to their plight.