The Uzbek media disseminated a message from the Main Directorate for the Execution of Sentences under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The press service of the Department in this way reacted to the ACCA publication “Bullying and torture continue in the colonies of Uzbekistan”. Journalists in uniform did not forget to mention the January material of the portal “In Uzbekistan, systematic bullying forces prisoners to commit suicide”. ACCA is once again grateful to the Uzbek security forces for close attention to its publications.
The essence of claims of the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences was that the ACCA journalist, for some reason, did not believe the assurances that the GDES under the Ministry of Internal Affairs “took all the necessary measures to prevent the infringement of the rights and freedoms of prisoners, to eliminate extortion, pressure and other enforcement measures against them, further exclusion of such cases in penal institutions”.
The press service of the GDES under the Ministry of Internal Affairs notes that despite the published statements, the discussion of this topic is still ongoing.
To give facts does not mean to exaggerate. ACCA, based on its editorial policy, is not interested in publishing unverified information on the observance of human rights in prisons in Uzbekistan. The ACCA Editorial Board is not at all interested in “damage to the authority of all penitentiary institutions, as well as the formation of a negative opinion among the public”. It is important to understand that the situation with the rights and freedoms of prisoners in Uzbekistan is bad.
The response of the GDES completely rejected the abuse of the prisoner Shokhrukh Juraev. The editors admit that they made a mistake, calling him an invalid of the second group. When reading the report published by GDES, it turned out that in colony No.6, he was transferred to the third disability group in May last year. True, there is no official conclusion of the medical commission. However, a sheet of paper with the signatures of some responsible persons, which did not have legal force, allowed the colony administration to apply to the convict the whole arsenal of punishments, legal and frankly imposed. ACCA journalist just cited evidence in the article. And the illegal bureaucratic tricks of the colony administration help sending prisoners to pick cotton in autumn, regardless of their state of health.
The fact of torture mentioned in the ACCA article was not commented on by the GDES press service. But they told in detail how, in compliance with the law, at a meeting of the visiting court in the colony, Shokhrukh was added 1 year, and the prison regime was strengthened. Soon after the announcement of the verdict, the convict, in serious condition, was sent from the Namangan colony to the so-called Sangorod, Tashkent prison hospital (KIN-23). The colony administration was forced to send him for treatment because of exacerbation of kidney disease and ongoing severe headaches. Shokhrukh was injured out of prison and was diagnosed with a “comminuted skull fracture” for life.
Note that on the day of the publication of the response of the GDES, one of the heads of the Department, Lt. Col. Erkin Babakulov visited Shokhrukh and found his condition satisfactory.
The annoying publication of the GDES appeared on the network on February 24, when eight human rights activists and relatives of prisoners held a picket near the departmental building. They protested against bullying and torture in the colonies.
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