Authorities probe mistreatment of inmates in south German prison: Report

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - An investigation has been launched into accusations of ill-treatment of prisoners in the southern city of Augsburg, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily said on Monday.

Inmates at the Gablingen prison were allegedly beaten and locked in specially secured cells naked, without having access to blankets or mattresses.

The Augsburg Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation into several prison personnel, including the deputy prison director, on charges of assault. Police also searched the prison and seized numerous files.

A lawyer who filed a criminal complaint about the situation in the prison said his client was kept in a cell naked, without blankets or mattresses.

Katharina Baur, who worked as a doctor at the Gablingen prison for a while, told public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk that she saw 80% of the prisoners naked in their cells, without blankets or mattresses. She said prisoners who were suicidal or had attacked staff were taken to these cells.

The lawyers for the deputy wardens, Holm Putzke and Alexander Stevens, said the allegations of ill-treatment of prisoners were unfounded and that their clients denied the claims.

Justice Minister of the state of Bavaria, Georg Eisenreich, emphasized that such serious allegations must be clarified, adding that the presumption of innocence was valid until this process was completed.