Uzbekistan to reduce the number of penal colonies

“In order to introduce international standards and the principle of humanism, it is planned to reduce the number of penal colonies to 6 in 2021,” the document says.

In addition, it is planned to establish a system of quarterly “monitoring visits” to remand centers and prisons by the Commissioner for Human Rights of Oliy Majlis (Ombudsman), with the participation of representatives of the public by 1 April 2021.

If the draft is approved, the power to propose lighter and early release measures will be transferred from the enforcement agencies to the newly established humanitarian commissions by 1 June 2021.