Extraordinary events at the SIZO

As it became known from unverified but various sources, on 30 April, a large number of people (according to the source) dressed in dark camouflage suits with masks on their faces, armed with automatic weapons, entered the territory of the Simferopol SIZO. The number and affiliation of these people to the State Penitentiary Service special unit could not be determined.
According to the source, the armed people intimidate prisoners with their appearance, but no information has been received about the beating of prisoners or other physical abuses by the military towards the prisoners. The source also reports that the armed people surrounded the SIZO and are located “on the blocks near the cells in which the prisoners are staying”.
At the same time, the very fact that people armed with automatic weapons are on the territory of the pre-trial detention centre causes concern.
It also became known that a few days ago, a commission from the leadership apparatus of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine visited the Simferopol SIZO with an inspection. During the inspection, a whole series of violations and abuses by the SIZO management were revealed, which became the basis for the dismissal of the pre-trial detention centre’s leaders.
Later, information arrived that this was allegedly training in connection with the fact that two weeks ago, the Simferopol Department for Combating Organised Crime exposed SIZO employees who were allegedly taking a criminal authority out of the pre-trial detention centre for a “sit-down”. In connection with this, the head was removed. The department’s duty officer confirmed the tightening of the regime for the weekend.
Another source reports that “on the territory of the Simferopol SIZO, there are about thirty people in masks with automatic weapons. For now, they are not doing anything, but they are supposedly expecting special units from Dnipropetrovsk. The goal is unknown for now.”