Kazakhstan: three prisoners died in collapsed barracks

In the strict regime colony ГМ-172/6, located in the city of Aktau (Mangistau region), a two-story barrack for convicts collapsed. As a result of the emergency, three prisoners died, eight more were injured.

The partial collapse of the barracks occurred on July 19. According to the Department of the Penitentiary System of Mangistau region, there were 11 prisoners in the barrack at the time of the incident.

The victims, rescued from the falling-barrack by rescuers, were hospitalized. Four of them were diagnosed with closed craniocerebral injury, fractures and bruises. One of them is connected to ALV.

The Department of the Penitentiary System also noted that the Committee of the Penitentiary System provides all the necessary assistance to both the victims and the families of the deceased convicts.

“The Committee presents its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims. The Police Department of Mangistau region began a pre-trial investigation of the incident. In addition, a special technical commission was created, which is now inspecting all buildings on the territory of ГМ-172/6 institution,” the Department said.

They also added that the investigation of the incident is carried out under the article of the Criminal Code – poor-quality construction, which resulted in the death of two or more persons.

A special commission headed by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan Arystangani Zapparov is also working at the scene. The commission also included the leadership of the Committee of the Penitentiary System and members of the National Preventive Mechanism.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that colony ГМ-172/6 has been included in the news briefs since the beginning of the year.

So, in March, a resident of Aktau complained that her civilian spouse, who is serving a sentence in this institution, was beaten by the employees of the institution.

In April, two prisoners from ГМ-172/6 swallowed spoon handles as a sign of “disagreement with the established regime of detention”.

In May, a video message from another convict from this colony was circulated on social networks, in which it was reported that prisoners were coerced by the staff of the institution to vaccinate.

“Threats come from the leadership of the colony. They tell us that those, who refuse to be vaccinated, will not receive parcels from relatives and will forbid visits. I wrote a refusal to vaccinate, and they began to threaten me openly. They said that they would start persecuting me,” said Aleksandr Almaev.

However, the Department of the Penitentiary System of Mangistau region denied these accusations, stating that the vaccination of prisoners from COVID-19 is carried out exclusively on a voluntary basis.

“The provision of visits, as well as the receipt of parcels, is carried out in a regular mode, including for convicts who have refused vaccination. Other disciplinary measures are also not applied to convicts who refused vaccination,” the Department of the Penitentiary System said at the time.

Meanwhile, in 2019, ACCA reported other facts of bullying of convicts.