BELGRADE, SERBIA - 65 Serbian prisoners using needles, thread and safety pins stitched their lips together to protest slow legal proceedings against them, Belgrade's main prison said today.

Prison doctors were called in to remove the self-inflicted stitches, a prison statement said.

The needles and the safety pins were likely smuggled into the prison.

Another 320 inmates refused their breakfast today for the same reason, the statement said.

Serbian legal authorities are known for their slowness in processing court cases, leading to years long detentions without charges.

The prisoners were also protesting against dismal living conditions in the overcrowded prison cells, the statement said.