Updated

Inmates held in Greece's only prison hospital have launched a protest campaign and are refusing food and medication to protest what they see as dire conditions in the institution.

The hospital in the Korydallos prison complex west of Athens is designed to hold 60 men but currently houses more than 200, rights groups and prison staff said Monday. Many are HIV positive and many others suffer from communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and scabies.

In statements posted on social media, protesters say 178 of the inmates have been refusing prison food for the past week. They have also posted photos showing inmates sleeping on bunks and on mattresses on the floor. Although the photos are not dated, a prison official said they were a true depiction of current conditions.