In Kyrgyzstan, 48 life-term prisoners went on hunger strike
In Kyrgyzstan, life-term prisoners went on hunger strike. They insist on a review of sentences within the framework of the humanization of legislation. This was also reported to ACCA by the Coalition Against Torture.
“On March 10, we received information that the life-term prisoners in the institution No.1 in the village of Moldovanovka went on hunger strike. Their requirements were not clear to us. We immediately reported to the Ombudsman’s office, the National Center for the Prevention of Torture,” Indira Sautova, the director of the Coalition Against Torture, told ACCA.
Later, information leaked into the press. Journalists wrote that about 200 prisoners went on hunger strike in various institutions around the country.
“According to the State Penitentiary Service, the requirements of convicts are a review of sentences within the framework of humanization of legislation. To date, we, as human rights defenders, have not seen the text of the convicts’ statements, and no one forbids the State Penitentiary Service to publish them. The question is what is the actual situation,” added Sautova.
ACCA contacted Albert Kolopov, head of the human rights enforcement department of law enforcement agencies and places of restraint of liberty.
“I’m just coming from the colony No.1, located in the village of Moldovanovka. There, 50 people were sentenced to life imprisonment, 48 of them went on hunger strike, two cannot take part in the protest because of their state of health. Convicts demand a review of their cases. They claim that they have contacted the relevant authorities, but have not received feedback from them,” Kolopov said to ACCA.
Today is the third day of the hunger strike. According to Albert Kolopov, the prisoners are under medical supervision.
“We passed on their requirements to the State Penitentiary Service, but the problem is that they are not in its competence. The only thing is that the employees of the penitentiary service can talk with the prisoners and try to convince them to give up the hunger strike. This will be done in the near future,” he accented.
Indira Sautova explained that the introduction of a new institution of life imprisonment for the Kyrgyz Republic required the formation of an appropriate policy in the field of the execution of this type of punishment and amendments to the criminal-executive law.
“This policy and changes were formed following the changes in criminal policy. The Criminal Executive Code of the Kyrgyz Republic of 1999, with amendments, was intended to contain persons sentenced to life imprisonment in special regime colonies for convicts serving life imprisonment. These colonies provided for light and strict conditions for serving sentences,” Sautova emphasized.
In addition, the convicts had from one and a half to two hours of daily walk, depending on the conditions of serving the sentence, the conditions regarding the expenditure of funds for the purchase of food and basic necessities, the number and type of visits, the number of parcels.
“Life-term prisoners had the right to change the type of institution. They could be transferred to a maximum security penal colony after serving at least twenty years of the term and to a settlement after serving at least twenty-five years of sentence,” added the human rights activist.
Thus, the Penal Code, which was in effect until 2019, provided for life-term prisoners, at least a delusive, but still a chance to be released after serving not less than 25 years in prison.
However, on the basis of a special instruction of the law of 2007 (with amendments), life-term prisoners are serving sentences in pre-trial detention facilities and cell-type facilities of correctional colonies until a special regime is created in the correctional colony of the Kyrgyz Republic for the maintenance of life-term prisoners.
“The colony was created, but the number of life-term prisoners exceeds the capacity of the colony,” the director of the Coalition Against Torture concluded.
