You're reading: Kyrgyz prisoners sew mouths shut in protest

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Officials in Kyrgyzstan say more than 400 inmates have sewn their mouths shut as part of an ongoing protest over living conditions in jail.

Prison services authority spokeswoman Eleonora Shershenaliyeva said Tuesday that prisoners at two penitentiaries have closed their mouths in such a way that they can consume only liquids.

Protests have been taking place in jails in the capital, Bishkek, since mid-January when prison authorities enforced strict detention rules. Officials say prison wardens confiscated drugs and weapons during sweeps.

Hundreds of inmates are currently refusing to take food.

Jails in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet nation of 5 million that hosts a U.S. air base crucial for operations in nearby Afghanistan, are notoriously overcrowded and rife with disease.