Human Rights Group Warns of Prison Unrest

Penal system officials in Kyrgyzstan have dismissed recent warnings from a human rights group that a fresh outbreak of prison riots is now inevitable. NBCentralAsia analysts say protests are more than likely because of the failure to institute a major reform of the prison system.



Citizens Against Corruption issued a statement on September 25 warning that the prisons are close to rebellion because of the steady decline in conditions and the rising incidence of tuberculosis-linked mortality.



Two days later, the government’s Department of Correctional Facilities gave a press conference to say it did not anticipate any riots. However, it did complain that the penal system was badly underfunded.



Prison uprisings in Kyrgyzstan can have major political implications. During a riot in prison near Bishkek in October 2005, the head of the parliamentary committee on security, Tynychbek Akmatbaev, and the head of the Department of Correctional Facilities, Ikmatulla Polotov, were killed. Although the rebellion was put down, the death of Akmatbaev caused a massive protest in Bishkek demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Felix Kulov.



After this, the authorities promised a major overhaul of the penitentiary system.



Domestic and international human rights groups continue to monitor conditions in the prisons. In August 2006, almost a year after the last riot, the International Crisis Group issued a report on the prison system that highlighted the lack of substantial changes.



Penal experts interviewed by NBCentralAsia say the main causes of prison unrest persist: deteriorating conditions and overcrowding, leading to a high incidence of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. According to some statistics, one in three HIV-positive people in Kyrgyzstan is to be found in the prisons.



Kyrgyzstan’s ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir Uulu believes there will be more rebellions, and warns that they may become assume more serious proportions. He says the government will struggle to cope with fresh rioting, but insists that using force - as happened last year - is not the right solution.



Many commentators argue that the only way to improve things is to root out corruption in the penal system, and implement long-term, comprehensive reforms not only in this area but also in the judicial and law-enforcement systems. International experts on the subject also recommend reducing the size of prisons.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)