Eleven hurt in brawl over phone
A disagreement over the use of a phone resulted in a brawl between Greek and Albanian inmates at an Athens prison on Sunday night, ending with five prisoners being seriously injured, police said yesterday. The fighting between inmates broke out a little after 8 p.m. in Korydallos Prison when an Albanian inmate interrupted a Greek prisoner using the prison phone and told him to hurry up and finish his call, authorities said. The Albanian inmate’s request was ignored so he then sought reinforcements from fellow nationals and attacked the other prisoner with broken glass and chair legs. Authorities played down the incident yesterday saying that such brawls are common in detention centers. A total of 11 inmates took part in the fight with five of them being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The remaining six inmates were treated at the prison’s medical facilities. Police have stepped up patrols in the prison to avoid a repeat of the violent outbreak. Authorities are holding an investigation to determine what charges should be brought.
