Riot in women’s prison in Thiva after detainee dies

A riot erupted at Eleonas’ Womens’ Prison in central Greece on Thursday morning after a woman whom detainees suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus died earlier in the day.

The prisoners burned mattresses and called for immediate measures to protect their health and reduce overcrowding.

Sources at the General Secretariat for Anti-crime Policy said officers did not have to intervene and the riot ended quickly.

According to a press release from the Citizen Protection Ministry, the 42-year-old, who was being held in the 5th wing of the prison, was transferred to a local hospital on Thursday where she was declared dead.

It also said an autopsy had been ordered to determine the cause of death but an “initial assessment” of the prison doctor does not point to Covid-19.