Tartu Prison Governor: Pork Will Not Be Added to Menu for Swedish Inmates

According to Prison Service Director Rait Kuuse, Tartu Prison is ready to receive Swedish detainees arriving in August without any special preparations. Pork has been removed from the menu for Swedish inmates to accommodate possible religious dietary restrictions among Muslims, but the same rule applies to all incoming detainees.

Tartu Prison is ready for Swedish detainees arriving in August and no special preparations are needed, confirmed Prison Service Director Rait Kuuse. According to him, it does not matter whether the incoming inmates are Muslims or non-Muslims, the prison is prepared regardless.

However, pork has been excluded from the menu planned for Swedish inmates to accommodate possible religious dietary restrictions. Kuuse emphasised, however, that this is not a special rule only for Swedish detainees; pork is not served to any other inmate sent here either.

The cooperation agreement on prison services between Estonia and Sweden provides for Swedish detainees to be placed in Tartu Prison starting in August. This is part of a broader Nordic cooperation model in which smaller countries provide additional capacity to neighbours' overcrowded prison systems.