Kyrgyz inmates on hunger strike over prostitute ban

BISHKEK—Inmates at several prisons in Kyrgyzstan have launched a hunger strike over new restrictions barring them from being visited by prostitutes, a state official said Tuesday.

“Prisoners at seven prisons have refused to take their meals,” said Joldochbek Bouzourmankoulov, spokesman for the country’s prison sentencing agency.

He said the protest was tied to new limits on prisoner visits.

“Prisoners had the right for visits from their families and ‘other’ people,” he said. “But under the label for ‘others,’ they were bringing prostitutes to the prison.”

From now on, only relatives with identity cards showing their ties to inmates can visit.