Bullying and torture continue in the colonies of Uzbekistan

Complaints of the mother about bullying her son in the colony to the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as to the virtual reception of the country’s President and the Prosecutor General, led to an additional prison term.

According to volunteers of the women’s human rights group in Uzbekistan, on January 23, the judge of the Criminal court of Papskiy district of Namangan region, D. Madaminov, on the proposal of the head of the colony, Murat Ashurmetov, sentenced Shokhrukh Juraev to 1 year of strict regime for malicious violation of the regime. Ashurmetov asked for three years. According to the mother, the judge, in person, apologized to her and explained that he had to do this by order from above.

Currently, Dilorom Juraeva is preparing an appeal. Otherwise, her son will be sent to a special regime zone.

“Bullying and torture in Uzbek prisons have been and will be while sadists are working there,” Tatyana Dovlatova, leader of the women’s rights group, said in an interview with ACCA.

According to her, the story of prisoner Shokhrukh Juraev is a flagrant injustice. “On September 13, 2018, Shokhrukh was at home, but it did not prevent the judge from sentencing him under two articles of the Criminal Code to 10 years in prison for hooliganism and robbery,” says Dovlatova. “However, in 2016, according to the conclusion of the medical commission, Shokhrukh was issued a disability with a diagnosis of “comminuted skull fracture”. With such a verdict, it’s hard to imagine a tendency to attack.”

The human rights activist notes that in the colony, Shokhrukh Juraev was constantly abused by prison’s employees. “Shokhrukh’s mother informed about all the bullying in the colony,” said Dovlatova. “Moreover, the food in the dining room of the colony is of poor quality. Spoiled products are used to prepare food, and prisoners are often poisoned and get gastrointestinal diseases. “Last November, Shokhrukh had severe poisoning, and this was the reason for the refusal of food from the table.”

Such a decision by Shokhrukh, the colony officers considered as a violation of the regime, as a result, the disabled person was closed for 10 days in a punishment cell,” says Dovlatova. “You have to stand in the punishment cell from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is forbidden to sit; they can again record a violation. It is forbidden to close eyes. Is it the so-called re-education and “treatment” for diarrhea?”, the human rights activist asks.

After a meeting with her son, Dilorom Juraeva wrote a complaint to the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as to the virtual reception of the country’s President and the Prosecutor General. “The authorities got off with empty formal replies,” says Tatyana. “They also made notes about good and satisfying food.”

On January 22, during a telephone conversation with Dilorom Juraeva, Prosecutor’s employees promised her to check everything. However, inspectors did not appear in the colony.

These complaints and attempts to make her son’s life easier, in the opinion of human rights activists, led to Shokhrukh getting another 1 year in prison. By such methods, according to experts, the colony’s administration made it clear to the rest of the prisoners that it was useless to complain.

Earlier, ACCA published letters of prisoners from the colony of Namangan region of Uzbekistan, in which they spoke of systematic bullying that forced prisoners to commit suicide.

The press service of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Sentences under the Ministry of Internal Affairs tried to whitewash the department in its response to the publication of the ACCA, formulating the opinion that “such facts are unacceptable in penal institutions. All necessary measures have been identified to prevent violations of the rights and freedoms of convicts, and to prevent among them any kind of extortion, humiliation, pressure, and other such phenomena.”

Now, when human rights defenders come to the reception of General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences, they are constantly being reproached for sending letters to the ACCA journalist.

Human rights activist Gulbakhor Karimbekova confirms Juraeva’s words about bullying in the colony both against prisoners and relatives. Prisoners talk about extorting money for a long date. For example, an extension of up to 6 days costs $100; for $200 they can be allowed a date outside the walls of the colony.