New facts of illegal seizure of products from parcels for prisoners and moral humiliation were discovered by human rights activists from the initiative group “Open line”. This was reported by the mother of the convict Oybek Kamalov, who is serving his term in penal colony No. 3 (Shaikhali, Kashkadarya region).
Zulfiya Kamalova is outraged that she has found out more than once that her son doesn’t receive all the transferred products from the list. The last time, they didn’t even let him pass crackers.
She considers the obscene language of the colony employees to be another acute problem. “You can imagine Oybek’s impotence and rage when he has to listen to dirty curses against his mother,” says the group leader Tatyana Dovlatova. “Zulfiya sobbed when she told us about it. Unfortunately, we often have to record complaints about the rudeness and obscene language of jailers. So they break the psyche and violate the human dignity of prisoners. Well, at least once someone was demonstratively brought to administrative responsibility…”
In recent years, Open line has reported dozens of times about violations of the rights of prisoners, to which the Ministry of Internal Affairs responded with the wording ‘the facts were not confirmed’. The significance of the work and evidence of violations of the law in penitentiary institutions is increasingly difficult to ignore. Therefore, on May 24, 2022, the head of the Department for the Execution of Sentences under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rustam Tursunov, received four human rights activists from Open line. Several cases of illegal actions of his wards were discussed at the meeting. Rustam Tursunov promised to look into this issue and suggested civil activists to meet regularly once a quarter.
On May 26, Zulfiya reported on a visit to the colony by employees of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office and a dramatic change in the behavior of Tursunov’s subordinates. “They even started to be on formal terms with my son. They asked me not to complain and write anymore,” Kamalova said. According to Tatyana Dovlatova, she is satisfied with the communication in the Department for the Execution of Sentences, but she is sorry that such issues are resolved only at a high level.
Earlier, ACCA wrote how on May 4, 2021, prisoner Suren Muratov cut his hands and stomach while attempting suicide in the colony-settlement No.35 in Kashkadarya. Human rights activist Elena Urlaeva informed about this. She is sure that the rough treatment of the penitentiary staff, poor-quality food and the fabrication of various violations of the regime contributed to the possible suicide. ACCA’s publications also noted the humiliation of prisoners on an ethnic basis.
