Report: Russian inmates mistreated

MOSCOW, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A human rights group says it received nearly 1,000 complaints of inmates begin tortured last year in Russia.

Many of the complaints alleged police tortured inmates to get "coerced confessions" to "boost crime solving rates," said the report from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

There also were numerous complaints of poor quality food, lack of medical treatment and psychology torture, Latif Huseynov, a council representative said Monday at a news conference in Moscow.

Prosecuting police for mistreating inmates is difficult because in many cases prosecutors reject the complaints, Huseynov said, urging Russian authorities to take action against rogue police and prison guards, The Moscow Times reported Tuesday.