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Information on the number of prisoners and the cost of maintaining them
in Uzbekistan is classified and not reflected in the mainstream statistics.
Main Department of Corrections (GUIN) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of
Uzbekistan is strictly controlled by a special department of the National Security
Service.
In 2010, at the session of the Parliament, Islam Karimov said that for
every 100,000 people in Uzbekistan there were 166 prisoners, i.e. there were
approximately 46,480 people in prison. The Chairman of the Supreme Court of
Uzbekistan stated the same data (166 per 100 thousand) in November 2014.
The International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) relies on this
figure. In 2013, the
Centre reported that in 2012 the number of prisoners, including those under
investigation, declined to 46 420 people, of whom 42,000 were serving
sentences. These statements were published with reference to the US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012. This report
presents data on the number of prisoner held in 58 penal institutions of Uzbekistan
in 2009. However, the Centre did not specify that the data available to the
State Department was outdated.
As it turns out, ICPS collects information from different sources:
— The Times of Central Asia http://www.timesca.com/index.php/m-news-by-category/politics-analyses-and-opinions/12418-un-watchdog-demands-uzbekistan-halt-use-of-torture;
— Penal Reform International — http://www.penalreform.org/where-we-work/central-asia/;
— Uznews.net — http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=&cid=3&nid=24650 и др.
It is impossible to double-check the data provided by these sources. All
attempts to find the publication by the links displayed leads to the main page of
the website and in the archives were not saved. Uzbekistan does not allow
access by the UN Special Rapporteurs for the past 11 years; it expelled the HRW
from the country.
Our analysis shows that the official data provided by Tashkent causes
serious doubts, because the figures are very low. As reported by the media, the
Amnesty announced in November 2014 applied to more than 50,000 prisoners. In
addition, in 2013, on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the
adoption of the Constitution, 69.5 thousand individuals were pardoned. These
figures were published by Office of the Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan, with reference
to the Resolution of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament).
But, how can anyone amnesty 69,500 prisoners, if not
long before such decision, according to official figures, there were a total of
46,480?
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (ARCA) sent a query to the
International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS). We asked the ICPS to describe
their methodology for obtaining input data and explain why, in their report for
2012, they were using the statistics applicable to 2009. Does the ICPS confirm the
data presented their findings, which indicate a reduction of number of
prisoners in Uzbekistan, or was that a mistake? We will inform the public when
we receive a response to our query.
According to our sources, the Uzbek prison colonies are crowded. The prison
cells designed for four people contain 8-9 prisoners. The number of the penal
institutions and the number of prisoners in each colony changes frequently. The
number of prison colonies may be declining, but the number of prisoners is only
growing. For example, in 2011, the Andijan prison (УЯ 64/СИ-14 GUIN - Ed.) was closed. However, the prisoners held
in that colony were transferred to other prisons, where new buildings were
constructed. The public is usually informed about the new colonies and prisons,
about the change of location, but not about the construction of new buildings
or additional cells.
Unless some authoritative international mission visits prisons in Uzbekistan,
the official statistics cannot be verified. Even the International Red Cross does
not have access to the prisons for an independent assessment.
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia believes that the government of Uzbekistan completely
falsifies data on the number of prisoners. Then many international publications
and organisations circulate these figures without critical analysis and
verification. Independent experts of the
UN and the governments of democratic countries should request the authorities
of Uzbekistan to publish reliable statistics on the number of prisons and
prisoners in Uzbekistan.
