According to ACCA sources, exactions from prisoners have been going on for two weeks in the colonies of Lebap region. Colonial officers demand money for entering the name of the prisoner in the list of those pardoned.
The amounts are exorbitant and not every prisoner can afford it. The minimum rate is from 50,000 manats ($1 = 3.5 manats). The amount is negotiated through the officers. The detachment officer, already with the prisoner’s money, goes to the head of the prison and pays the necessary amount for a pardon. It’s also necessary to pay to the detachment officer for his work. The officers of the colonies also ordered the prisoners to call home and ask their relatives to send them money, because before each pardon in the colonies they collect money for the repair of toilets, showers and the barracks.
According to an ACCA source, 50-100 manats are collected from prisoners during this pardon, and up to 50% of the wages of prisoners working in the industrial zone are cut. Prisoners with long prison terms say that more than 90% of the collected amount goes into the pockets of the officers themselves.
Before each pardon, there is a redistribution of beds in each detachment. The cost of renting one bed is from 2,000 manats until the next act of pardon. There is also a resale of places in keldyms (special separate rooms). The prices are much higher, and a simple prisoner cannot afford it. Many prisoners try to pay and sleep in beds in warmer rooms than outside under the open sky. Winter is coming soon and they will have to sleep in the cold corridors of the barracks, in the kitchen or in the dining room.
It’s worth recalling that Turkmenistan is one of the five countries with the highest rate of prisoners in the world. According to the World Prison Brief, there are 576 prisoners per 100,000 people. Also, Turkmen prisons are distinguished by the incredible cruelty of employees and inhuman conditions of detention.
