Ombudsman advises Tajik authorities to improve prison conditions

In his report on the 2014 activities, Tajik Ombudsman Zarif Alizoda advises the government of Tajikistan to increase financing of penitentiary institutions.

The report, in particular, notes that 80 prison inmates died in medical facilities of the Ministry of Justice last year.  25 of them died of tuberculosis and the remaining 55 died of other diseases.

In 2014, Tajik ombudsman reportedly visited five penitentiary institutions, including the pretrial facility in Khorog, a penal colony in Qurghon Teppa and some other detention facilities and there were electricity supply problems in some of them.

Wardens of these penitentiary institutions say that frequent power disruptions weaken prison security, and therefore, the ombudsman asks the government to provide regular power supply to the penitentiary institutions, the report says.

The ombudsman also notes in his report that another serious problem is connected with providing work for prison inmates.