Russia ready to transfer over 3,000 Uzbek convicts to serve sentences in Uzbekistan

The Russian Federation has signaled its readiness to transfer more than 3,000 Uzbek citizens currently serving prison sentences on its territory back to Uzbekistan. However, the implementation of this humanitarian process requires Uzbekistan to ratify a specific international convention to establish the necessary legal grounds.

Photo: RIA Novosti

Tatyana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, announced the possibility of handing over these individuals during a meeting of the CIS Human Rights Commission. She emphasized that Russia is prepared to provide practical assistance in this matter to facilitate the return of convicted Uzbek nationals to their home country.

For the transfer process to commence, Uzbekistan must join the 1998 international agreement on the transfer of persons deprived of liberty to serve the remainder of their sentences in their country of origin. Moskalkova noted that Russia already cooperates under this framework with several other nations that have ratified the convention, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan.

This international mechanism allows citizens of participating states who have been convicted in another member country to serve their remaining prison terms closer to home. The primary objective of this procedure is to facilitate the social rehabilitation of inmates by allowing them to serve their sentences in an environment near their families and loved ones. Experts view this practice as a vital mechanism aligned with international humanitarian principles and human rights standards.