In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Hakim Mirsayzod, noted on July 26 that more than 10,000 people, including 237 women, 39 minors and 353 foreign nationals, are currently being held in Tajikistan’s jails, penal colonies and pretrial detention centers.
“Eighty of them, including ex-commander of the National Guard Ghaffor Mirzoyev and deputy heads of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) Saidumar Husaini and Mahmadali Hayit, are serving life terms,” the deputy minister noted.
According to him, 1,548 inmates are serving their jail terms for extremism related crimes. 239 prisoners are reportedly members of political parties and movements banned in the country.
“27 prisoners died over the first six months of this year. They all died a natural death,” Mirsayzod added.
Recall, Tajikistan introduced a moratorium on executions and the handing down of death sentences on July 15, 2004. The country’s legislation reduced the scope of its death penalty by limiting the number of crimes punishable by death from 15 to five and revoking its use against women and minors.
The Tajik delegation stated the clear political will to fully abolish capital punishment in the future at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on September 30, 2009. This commitment was reinforced again in April 2010, when President Emomali Rahmon established a working group with the aim of analyzing the social and legal aspects of abolishing the death penalty in Tajikistan. Several NGOs have supported the government’s intentions in this area through the development of projects aimed at raising awareness of the issue and engaging in a dialogue on abolishing the death penalty and the general question of the right to life.
The Penitentiary System is responsible for managing the prison system in Tajikistan and has been part of the Ministry of Justice since 2002. Its 18 penitentiary institutions reportedly include eight correctional colonies (including one colony for women), one colony for juveniles, one prison and five pre-trial detention centers. There are also three regional units responsible for the execution of non-custodial sanctions.
