Monitoring visits to places of detention in Uzbekistan, in particular penal colonies, are carried out by public groups for the detection and prevention of torture under the Ombudsman’s office. Starting from 2022, our organization, the Representative Office of the Association of Central Asia in Uzbekistan, has participated in these monitoring visits to prisons as part of public groups. During the monitoring visits, individual interviews are conducted with prisoners and attention paid to a wide range of issues, from food quality to medical services and living conditions.
So far, I have monitored conditions in penal institutions and detention centers in the Tashkent region, Namangan, Bukhara, Khorezm, and the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
Last year, in prison No. 6 in Namangan region, we found that the rooms for long-term visiting with close relatives of prisoners, the prisoners’ living and dining rooms, and other conditions did not meet the standard requirements. Our recommendation to renovate these spaces was fully implemented, along with our recommendation to ensure washrooms and toilets are accessible for disabled prisoners, demonstrating the value of these monitoring visits and the ability of the system to adapt to targeted feedback.
Progress and the Backslide
Unfortunately, after an initial move toward liberalization of the penal system, we are witnessing a significant deterioration in the overall situation in Uzbekistan and continued problems in prisons.
By the end of 2017, following the death of Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, and the rise to power of current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, many prominent political prisoners convicted by the Karimov regime were released. The new administration took significant first steps toward the liberalization of the penal system in Uzbekistan.
However, those first positive steps were not followed with additional progressive developments but instead a layering on of protection for police. Law enforcement agencies have become more severe, and laws are increasingly used to protect the police, which has led to a deterioration in civil rights and decreased protection from the arbitrary use of power.
According to a law adopted by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan at the end of 2023, administrative liability or 15 days of administrative imprisonment can be imposed for posting photos and videos on the internet with the purpose of discrediting or insulting law enforcement officers. This triggered significant discussion among the Uzbek public. The law seriously affects the openness and transparency of state bodies, and the ability of the public to hold the powerful to account for their actions.
Recent Monitoring Observations
In recent monitoring visits, we observed issues relating to visiting conditions, the state of medical services in prisons, problems for prisoners in receiving parcels, and working conditions for prisoners.
In August 2023, while monitoring the penal institution in Pop district, I witnessed a large number of people gathered in the waiting room. Interviews with them revealed that relatives who came for scheduled visits with prisoners, often from distant regions, nevertheless had to wait for several days due to a lack of available visiting rooms. This cost relatives money as they had to stay in hotels until space was available to conduct their visits. And then, when these visits finally occurred, their time with their imprisoned relatives was often reduced by prison authorities. Instead of the three days allowed by law, visits were often reduced to a single day, with prison authorities again citing a lack of available visiting rooms.
To address this issue, the Department of Corrections should increase the facilities for long-term visits with close relatives of prisoners.
Another issue worth noting is that living conditions in some prisons and detention centers remain difficult. The situation related to the provision of medical services is particularly alarming: a lack of medical specialists, a lack of medicines for some diseases, and the poor quality of drinking water are just some of the factors that have a negative impact on the health of prisoners.
The problem of diseases in prisons deserves special attention. The lack of accurate statistical data on infectious diseases and the fact that this data is not made available to the public is a serious concern. Also, important statistics about the number of deaths in prisons, their causes, and the types of diseases that prisoners suffer from are not disclosed to the public.
Cases of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases in prisons are believed to be critically high. However, it is unclear what specific steps the authorities are taking to solve this problem. We hear desperate stories from relatives of prisoners who are forced to pay bribes so that their sick relatives receive some kind of medical attention.
It is important that the authorities ensure transparency and access to information by compiling and provide general statistics on the health of prisoners.
Another issue is related to the handling by the prison staff of various necessary items such as packages, medicines, and parcels sent by the relatives of the persons detained in the penal institutions. Not only is this a huge expense for family members, but it also requires long waits for shipments to be checked at prison check-in points. Relatives reported long waits at the detention center for screening to send items, and in many cases, successful delivery involved illegal actions, including bribery.
X-ray machines can speed up the scanning of goods brought to the prisons by relatives and also reduce the risks of bribery. At the same time, a simplified documentation process for receiving goods would both speed up the process and reduce corruption risks.
Finally, another issue that caught my attention during my recent monitoring of prisons is related to the working conditions of prisoners using heavy equipment, producing textile products, and other types of work. Prisoners were working without special protective clothing and the interviews I conducted demonstrated that prisoners are not sufficiently familiar with safety equipment and rules. Some prisoners noted that they work more than the permitted maximum working hours.
It is important to strengthen regulations and oversight of labor safety for prisoners and conduct further monitoring to learn about what kinds of labor they are engaged in. Once again, transparency and the sharing of information can serve to help bolster the rights of prisoners and ensure humane treatment.
A chairman of our organization, Pulat Ahunov, who himself is a former political prisoner, several times addressed the need to create an independent oversight body for civilian control over the situation in correctional labor colonies, prisons, and pre-trial detention centers. Civil society is an important aspect of preventing regression on prison reforms and ensuring further progress. Enabling independent civil society groups to monitor the situation in prisons can help prevent the violations of the rights of prisoners.