DUSHANBE, November 15, 2012, Asia-Plus — A group of representatives from the Prosecutor-General’s Office, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice are currently inspecting penal colonies following a number of negative incidents that have taken place in jails.
An official source at the Penitentiary System of the Ministry of Justice told Asia-Plus today that they have decided to talk to prisoners and hear their complaints.
“Yesterday, we visited penal colony # 1 in Dushanbe and today we have visited a penal colony in the Vahdat Township,” said the source. “We plan to visit all the penal colonies across the country. The Penitentiary System head Izatullo Sharipov is participating in all these trips.”
According to him, there are practically no complaints about prison conditions. “Mainly, convicted members of the outlawed religious extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir group have complained that the amnesty has not applied to them,” said the source. “There are also other complaints connected with the last amnesty.”
The source noted that media representatives might also join the group members on their trips to the penal colonies.
Information that was received from penal colonies lately has really evoked serious concern of civil society.
Thus, Hamza Ikromzoda, 27, died in Dushanbe’s penal colony # 1 on September 20. Hamza’s relatives claim that he was tortured. They say his body carried traces of torture, including burns caused by a heated iron.
Tajik authorities deny these allegations. They maintain that Ikromzoda committed suicide by hanging and that the marks on his body were caused by desperate attempts to revive him after he had been found.
Inmates of Dushanbe’s penal colony # 1 have complained about restriction of their rights and toughening of prison regime after the death of Hamza Ikromzoda.
Ikromzoda”s former cellmate Saidali Qazoqov told a press conference in Dushanbe in early October that abuse by prison authorities was a widespread practice. He said that the only way inmates could avoid mistreatment was to get their relatives to pay bribes of $200- $500 to prison officials. Qazoqov also showed reporters bruises on his body, which he said he received as a result of torture. He also intimated that those who abused prisoners to extort money felt they could do so with impunity because they were related to people in high places.
The 26-year-old Ajik Qayumov committed suicide in the Vahdat penal colony in June this year. According to information received, one more inmate of this penal colony – Numon Sattorqulov, 38 – committed suicide in summer 2011.
Besides, there were also other suicide attempts in jails and penal colonies.
