Greek Prisoners Starve as Debt Crisis Continues

The domino effect of Greece's economic crisis not only is impacting the shape of the eurozone, but it's trickling down to even the most desolate of places.

The financing for many prisons in Greece has dramatically decreased to a bare minimum for several months now, as “frozen” financing only extends towards education and health with the limited amount of funds available in the government's reserves.

Those stuck within Greece's prisons have an even more grim situation, as the country can't even afford to feed them. A prison in Corinth has experienced the worst of the crisis. After the supply stoppage from the nearby the military camp, the prisoners are left having to fend off starvation. Not even one grain of rice has been left in their warehouses.

From Protothema.gr,

When a few days earlier the commander of the camp announced to the prison management the transportation stoppage, citing lack of food supplies even for the soldiers, he shut down the last source of supply for 84 prisoners.

The citizens of Corinth reacted immediately to the news by protesting to the Justice ministry. After those attempts failed, they took it upon themselves to support the prisoners with food. Over the past few days, groups of Corinth residents have been collecting food for the prisoners as a small token of solidarity and respect. 

Other prisons throughout the country have been experiencing food supply issues lately as well. The prisoners who are unable to afford to buy food from the prison cafe are left without food and are becoming desperate.

With the Greek elections happening on June 17, just over two weeks away, if this problem with food supply to prisons across the country is not fixed quickly, those hundreds of prisoners won't live to see the next political regime take power and potentially help them out of prison.

Some may ask if this might have been a plan all along by the Greek government, to focus on more dire necessities than imprisoned citizens, and if this has any truth, the country may have an additional issue to deal with in terms of human rights.

This is just another example of the gravity of a massive economic collapse that wipes out an entire nation's infrastructure and ability to functionally operate as a system for the people.