Kathleen Lippa
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 13/03) - Mikidjuk Utye, an inmate who spoke candidly to News/North last week about how he feels Inuit are treated at the Baffin Correctional Centre, said he was back in isolation at the centre on Oct.3.

Utye called News/North on Tuesday from the courthouse in Iqaluit, where he was facing 42 charges including using a falsely obtained credit card, other fraud-related charges and three counts of sexual assault.

Utye says since talking to News/North his phone privileges were cut off, and corrections staff confiscated his writing materials.

Repeated phone calls to Andrea Smith, BCC warden, were not returned. Justice Minister and Premier Paul Okalik was also unavailable for comment.

Utye says corrections staff told him he was put in isolation because he complained to the media last week about ill treatment at the centre.

"I'm probably going to be there (in isolation) for a long time," he said last Tuesday.

"You know what?" he added. "I think they're not going to give us any newspapers because they don't want the prisoners to see it (the article)."

But a man who answered the phone at the corrections centre on Wednesday said News/North newspapers were delivered at the centre this week.