Prisoners in the Department of Riot and Terrorism in Hama Central Prison are suffering from the spread of infectious diseases, most notably tuberculosis, Al-Souria Net has learned.
According to sources, the number of prisoners infected with the highly contagious disease rose from five to 40 in just two months.
An informed source inside the prison confirmed that "tuberculosis is spreading quickly among the prisoners due to the large number of detainees within very small rooms."
Al-Souria Net’s correspondent in Hama, Hassan al-Omari, reported that the first documented fatality from the disease among the prion’s detainees was Rajab Karim, from the city of Halfaya. Omari confirmed that the prison warden, Brigadier Mohammed Ziad, was made aware of Karim’s condition but refused to transfer any prisoners to the hospital ward, saying that "they deserve this."
The prison’s head doctor, Col. Firas Shaker, also refused to admit any case to the hospital ward or provide medication to sufferers, instead only approving the isolation of affected prisoners.
"Every week, symptoms occur clearly in one or two cases, [officers] come and move the cases to the isolation section, and that's it," the prison source added.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
