Kyrgyzstan: two defendants cut their bellies as protest
Convicts of Suzak temporary isolation ward complained of cruel treatment by staff. A representative of the National Center for the Prevention of Torture in Jalal-Abad region Alisher Ermatov told this to ACCA.
According to him, two defendants in the murder case cut their bellies at the temporary isolation ward in Suzak district because the court refused to bring their accomplice to trial.
“According to them, the third person involved in this criminal case allegedly gave money to avoid criminal liability. In this connection, in the courtroom during the trial, they cut their bellies. When the administration of the detention center found out about this, it was decided to search the prisoners’ cells for prohibited items,” said Alisher Ermatov.
According to the human rights activist, during his visit to prisoners, he registered multiple hematomas. During the conversation, 18 people complained of beatings by staff of the detention center and the special forces of Jalal-Abad.
“I examined all 18 prisoners. 7 of them had signs of beatings on their bodies. When I asked where the bruises came from, the prisoners said that in this manner the prison staff taught them for keeping illegal things. However, the administration of the detention center has a different version of what happened. According to them, during a search of cells for illegal items, prisoners resisted and locked themselves in their cells. So, the special forces were brought in to restore order. During the brawl, the prisoners received bodily injuries,” Ermatov told both versions.
At the same time, the human rights activist is more inclined to the version of prisoners, because the administration of the temporary detention center couldn’t clearly explain to him why the cameras didn’t work at the time of the brawl.
