In a clarification, the administration of the prison says it selects maintenance work prisoners on the basis of predetermined criteria, according to the circulars and guidelines issued in this regard, in full coordination between all components of the commission responsible for selection.

These prisoners are chosen from those who enjoy a good reputation and are housed in a separate cell, continues the same source, adding that they are subject to constant monitoring and follow-up.

The allegations that these inmates reheat meals, especially dinner, in exchange for a pack of cigarettes are false, says the same source, noting that no inmate has ever complained about this, either to the director of the institution when he conducts rounds of inspection of the neighborhoods, or to the judges of enforcement of sentences and deputy prosecutors during their periodic visits to the institution.

According to the same source, heating meals is done uniformly and punctually in all areas of the institution, without discrimination and without any compensation.

The inmates who work in the main kitchen of the institution, where the meals are prepared by the company in charge of feeding the inmates, are selected according to the circulars and guidelines in force, the administration explained, noting that they are subject to medical examinations and daily supervision.

While assuring that access to the kitchen is strictly forbidden to inmates who do not work there, the administration stresses that "the publication of such false allegations is primarily aimed at sowing discord and disrupting the smooth running of the prison."