Tatiana Moskalkova, Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights, has emphasized the need to intensify efforts and expand agreements with other countries regarding the repatriation of foreign nationals serving sentences in Russia.
Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Ministry of Justice’s collegium on January 26, she highlighted frequent appeals from women from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, who are seeking assistance in transferring their relatives to serve their sentences closer to home, near family and loved ones.
"Unfortunately, due to long processing times, discrepancies between national regulations and international agreements, these issues remain unresolved," Moskalkova said.
She explained that these individuals face particular challenges due to difficulties in document translation, limited knowledge of the Russian language, and problems with sending packages. Moskalkova stressed the importance of now focusing on optimizing the existing agreements, urging human rights defenders, diplomats, and legal professionals to address these concerns.
The issue of transferring convicted Central Asian citizens from Russian prisons to their home countries has been raised before. Relatives of the convicted migrants have complained about the logistical and financial difficulties involved in visiting their loved ones in distant detention facilities.
The problem became even more pressing after Russian prisons began recruiting inmates to fight in the war in Ukraine. In September 2023, a group of Tajik prisoners from a facility in Kazan reached out to the Tajik Embassy and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan, asking to be repatriated to serve their sentences, fearing they would be sent to the front lines.
It remains unclear whether their request was addressed. Over the past three years, there has been no official information or statistics released regarding the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Tajikistan.
