A major uprising broke out in Turnhout prison, where Sven Pichal is also imprisoned, on Friday evening around 9 p.m. About seventy detainees suddenly refused to leave the courtyard and return to their cells. A fire was also set. A telephone breakdown and a strike by prison guards on Monday and Tuesday are said to be the cause of the strike. Meanwhile, the prisoners are led back to their cells one by one. This works without any significant problems.
Due to the timing of the riot – Friday evening – the police had to call in many off-duty officers. “That means it takes a while before we can perform. As soon as we had enough men, that could happen,” says Rudy Remijsen, spokesperson for the Turnhout Police Region. In addition to the police, the fire brigade also arrived on site. A fire was also set by the insurgents. “There is no reason to panic. There are currently no escapes. Some detainees had ended up between the double fence. Our colleagues receive the support of other forces in the region and are doing everything they can to normalize the situation as quickly as possible,” the police said. Later that evening, a water cannon also arrived at the prison site as a precaution.
According to our information, there was a telephone outage in the prison today. This caused frustration among some prisoners because they could not have contact with the home front. When the guards also announced that they planned to strike on Monday and Tuesday, everything degenerated. Such a strike means that detainees have to stay in their cells almost all day, which they clearly don’t like.
Pichal
It is not yet clear why the detainees rebelled. Ex-radio maker Sven Pichal has also been staying in Turnhout prison for several weeks. This week he had his arrest extended in the ongoing investigation into the possession and distribution of images of child abuse.
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