Jamila Dzhamanbaeva, the Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan, visited the women's colony No. 2 located in the village of Stepnoye, which is part of the State Penitentiary Service.
The purpose of the visit was to monitor the conditions of incarcerated women. During her inspection, Jamila Dzhamanbaeva examined all the buildings of the institution, including the children's home, medical unit, kitchen, and dormitory.
During her conversations with the women, including two minors and foreign citizens serving their sentences, the Ombudsman was able to listen to about 40 inmates during personal meetings. They were provided with legal assistance, and written appeals were accepted.
Many of the women requested assistance with conditional early release. Some also reported difficulties related to probation, complaints about unjust court decisions, and incorrect calculations of the time spent in the detention center (where one day is counted as two).
Inmates wishing to appeal court decisions sought legal assistance and support from the Ombudsman.
Two women requested help in obtaining passports, as they only had Soviet-era documents left.
Inmates convicted of fraud expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of opportunity for conditional early release and probation until full compensation is paid to the victims.
The women also noted that they most often receive only household soap as hygiene products, while other items are provided irregularly.
The colony has a sewing workshop and a bakery where inmates work. Additionally, they work in the kitchen, hair salon, and store. There were no complaints about working conditions, and the women reported a recent increase in wages.
On the territory of the institution, there is a children's home where five mothers with children under three years old reside; the youngest is only two weeks old. The mothers reported that they were provided with everything necessary.
However, the women noted a shortage of medications, especially for elderly inmates. In the medical unit, there are seven women receiving treatment, including a 69-year-old inmate diagnosed with stage three cancer, who appealed to the Ombudsman for help in being released on health grounds.
The colony houses 18 foreign citizens, including residents of Kazakhstan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and other countries. Some of them expressed a desire to return to their homeland through extradition.
Currently, there are 292 women in the institution aged from 17 to 78 years, of whom 248 are in the general regime, 22 in strict conditions, and 34 in a strict regime.
Based on the results of the complaint review, recommendations will be prepared for the relevant state authorities.
It is noteworthy that the Chairman of the State Penitentiary Service, Chyngyz Kozhoshev, was also present during the monitoring.
