Turkmenistan: 237 people died in prisons due to pneumonia (exclusive)

Turkmenistan authorities continue to state that there are no patients with coronavirus in the country. ACCA journalists conducted their own investigation on the COVID-19 situation in Turkmenistan’s prison facilities. The ACCA editorial staff is very grateful to all the citizens of Turkmenistan who helped in collecting this information.

The entire penal system of Turkmenistan is in a dire state. There are no specialists in the field of medicine and healthcare in the medical service department of the Penitentiary Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan. Prisoners have to provide themselves with everything necessary entirely in all colonies across the country. The prison staff sells to prisoners everything available in warehouses: food, medicine, clothes, shoes, bedding, mattresses, blankets, pillows.

Each colony has a specialized facility (tube-barracks) for patients with tuberculosis, however, the colony authorities turned all of them into paid rooms for wealthy prisoners. Tuberculosis patients are forced to share the same space with healthy people. Medical units in the colonies also turned into paid premises. Wardens are trying to maximize profits from entrusted to them objects. Supervisory authorities are completely corrupted and, for a certain bribe, turn a blind eye to administrative violations and crimes committed by the prison authorities. Prison staff confiscates high-quality and expensive medicines delivered by the prisoners’ relatives under the pretext of prohibiting the use of these drugs, and after the seizure, they sell the same medicines inside the colonies.

At the moment, all the colonies, without exception, are crowded and some prisoners have to sleep on the asphalt in the open air.

The dead bodies are transported mainly at night by garbage trucks. An ACCA source close to the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan reported that the primary source of COVID-19 was detected at once in two institutions of the country’s penitentiary system. The first mass source of spreading the virus was the special hospital MR-B / 15 which is in Mary city. In early February, one of the hospital employees, who works in the operational unit, attended a wedding in the town of Ioloten in Mary province. As it turned out, several guests – employees of one of the Chinese companies working in Mary province attended the wedding. One of them was coughing hard, and later a strange form of pneumonia was found (COVID-19). The officer himself was working being sick, as he was not provided with sick leave. At the moment, several infected doctors are working in the special hospital.

The second source of spreading the virus was the detention center Yashlyk, located near Ashgabat. It was not possible to find out exactly who was the primary source.

Below there is information about the situation in closed institutions of Turkmenistan, including the number of deaths from pneumonia. ACCA reporters managed to collect this data over the past 2 months, but of course, it is not complete. In reality, the mortality level from pneumonia is much higher. During the last act of pardon on May 16 of this year, 1,402 convicts were released, more than 50% of them were infected. An ACCA source close to the government of Turkmenistan reported that the government had discussed the issue of canceling the act of pardon. But the president’s prestige at the world level was more important than the health and safety of Turkmenistan citizens.

Daşoguz Region

1. DZ-K / 8 Daşoguz Women’s Colony: designed for 1000 people, contains about 2000, the density per square meter – 1 prisoner. Deaths due to pneumonia – 8.
2. DZ-D / 7 Detention center outside the city of Dashoguz; designed for 250 people, contains 700 people, density – 0.71 sq/m per person. There is no data on the deceased of COVID-19.

Lebap Region

1. LB-K / 10 Turkmenabad High-Security Colony; designed for 450 people, contains 1120, density – 0.8 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 11.
2. LB-K / 11 Sadie High-Security Colony; designed for 700 people, contains 2700, the density is 0.51 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 19.
3. LB-K / 12 Sadie general regime penal colony ; designed for 850 people, contains 3700, density – 0.45 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 24.
4. LB-P / 21 LTP of Karadamak settlement is designed for 200 people, contains 310, density – 1.29 sq / m per person. There is no data on the dead of pneumonia.

Mary Region

1. MR-B / 15 Central Prison Special Hospital, Mary; designed for 550 people: 200 for ordinary patients and tuberculosis block for 350 prisoners which consists of 4 buildings fenced with barbed wire. Contains 1150 patients, density – 0.95 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 39.

In a special hospital, the therapeutic department is redesigned to be infectious. Severely sick patients with pneumonia are sent to the first building of the tuberculosis block, where patients are having an open form of tuberculosis. The first pavilion is also called – pavilion of death. For two months now, the hospital has not accepted patients with therapeutic diseases. Patients with gastric ulcer, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal tract diseases, necrosis and cirrhosis of the liver should be treated in colonies. There are only two lung ventilator devices and they are used only in the surgical department for seriously sick patients who have undergone a complicated surgery. There are no medicines for treatment. Relatives of patients can pass medicines through officers, but dates are strictly forbidden. Doctors work round the clock and they spend nights right at the workplace. There are not enough specialists and former addicts are involved to work. They set droppers as they easily access a vein with a needle. The equipment is outdated not only technically, but also morally, several new devices are slipcovered, this is for use in case of an unscheduled checkup. The supply of medicines and food has significantly changed for the worse over the past 2 years. But there are some pros, every month patients are getting a piece of soap weighing 100 grams and a Turkish toothpaste. The doctors were also assured that antiviral drugs purchased in Russia would arrive very soon.

1. MR-K / 16 Bayramali High-Security Colony; designed for 1000 people, contains 3600, the density is 0.55 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 29.
2. MR-K / 17 Penal settlement of Mary; designed for 200 people, contains 820, density – 0.48 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 14.
3. MR-K / 18 Bayramali youth detention center; designed for 800 people, contains 2400, the density is 0.66 sq / m per child. There are 13 deaths from pneumonia, most of the deceased children under the age of 16 years.
4. MR-D / 14 pre-trial detention center in Mary; designed for 250 people, contains 710, density – 0.70 sq / m per person. There is no data on mortality due to pneumonia.

Akhal province

1. The Ovadan-Depe Prison Complex, includes; 1) a pre-trial detention center of the Ministry of National Security; 2) AH-T / 2 Prison and AH-K / 3 Prison. The whole complex is designed for 1250 people, contains 4000, the density is 0.62 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 12.
2. AG-D / 1 pre-trial detention center Yashlyk; designed for 300 people, contains 680, density – 0.88 sq / m per person. There is no data on the deceased of pneumonia.
3. AH-K / 6 Tejen Special Regiment Colony; designed for 800 people, contains 2650, density – 0.60 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 19.
4. AH-P / 4 Medical-Labour Centre in Tejen; designed for 200 people, contains 430, density – 0.93 sq / m per person. There is no data on the number of deaths due to pneumonia.

 Balkan Region

1. BL-P / 22 Medical-Labour Centre in Bekdash; designed for 200 people, contains 260, density – 1.53 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 4.
2. BL-D / 5 pre-trial detention centre in Turkmenbashi; designed for 200 people, contains 470, density – 0.85 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 15.
3. BL-D / 9 pre-trial detention center in Balkanabad; designed for 200 people, contains 610, density – 0.65 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 22.
4. BL-K / 4 Specialized colony for former employees of the power structures of Turkmenistan (red zone) in Turkmenbashi; designed for 650 people, contains 1550, density – 0.83 sq / m per person. Deaths due to pneumonia – 8.
5. BL-H military penal battalion; designed for 800 people, contains 1400, density – 1.14 sq / m per person. There is no data on the number of deaths due to pneumonia.