Prato prison, investigation for rape and torture among inmates
In the last few hours, new searches are underway in connection with another investigation by the judiciary, which is also investigating the crime of rioting after the riots inside the facility on 4 June and 5 July
2' min read
2' min read
Cases of sexual violence between inmates in La Dogaia prison have been uncovered by the Prato public prosecutor's office, in particular two episodes that the same public prosecutor's office describes as 'chilling'. In one case, dating back to September 2023, a detainee allegedly raped his Pakistani cellmate repeatedly, threatening him with a razor, while in a second case, dating back to January 2020, two detainees allegedly tortured and raped a fellow drug addict and homosexual, at his first prison experience, for days.
According to the investigation, the victim was brutalised with clubs, boiling pots, fists and blows to the head, forced to undergo repeated sexual intercourse and to live in a regime of continuous terror. After the evidentiary incident, both alleged perpetrators were remanded in custody and the trial is at an advanced stage. Prato Prosecutor Luca Tescaroli then requested the intervention of the prefect and quaestor of Prato to assess extraordinary security and public order measures also outside the structure.
New searches after the June and July riots
These days, the Prato prison is also at the centre of another investigation by the judiciary investigating the crime of rioting after the riots inside the facility on 4 June and 5 July, which led to new searches in recent hours. The investigators' file assumes the crimes of resistance, injuries and damage. On 5 July, about ten detainees barricaded themselves in the medium security building, attempting to set fire to materials, brandishing rods and screwdrivers and smashing the gates with cots. It took the intervention of riot police officers to restore calm. A similar episode occurred on 4 June, when five detainees, Italians, Moroccans and Libyans, threatened the officers with 'tonight we are going to war' or 'you only die once, it's either us or you'.
The magistrates are also verifying some 'collusive conduct' inside the facility and the role of some members of the penitentiary police is under scrutiny, while the involvement of the prefect and the quaestor has been requested in order to strengthen security outside the prison as well. In the last year alone," prosecutor Luca Tescaroli said in a note, "41 mobile phones, three sim cards and a router were seized, but the actual number of devices used by inmates could be even higher.
According to the latest investigations, in fact, new phones were found to be active even after the searches of the maxi-operation of 28 June last, with documented accesses on 29 June, but also on 1 and 2 July. Technological tools that, according to investigators, enter the prison by exploiting 'the freedom of movement of inmates on leave and the complacency of some prison police officers'. One inmate of the High Security section published photos of his cell on TikTok. Others are accused, with the complicity of corrupt officers or the cover of premium leave, of managing phones, routers and communications outside.
