In particular, on June 26, 2021, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed Decree No. 5163 “On additional measures to improve the system for detecting and preventing cases of torture.”

According to this resolution, the Ombudsman and the Public Groups for the Detection and Prevention of Torture created under the institution will conduct regular monitoring visits to places of detention of persons with limited freedom of movement.

The Authorized Person for Human Rights Feruza Eshmatova, Secretariat staff and Regional Representative of the Authorized Person for Human Rights in the Republic of Karakalpakstan Zhenisbay Shlymbetov and representatives of the Karakalpak public in order to study the state of ensuring the legal rights and interests of persons held in places of detention of persons with limited freedom of movement, April 15-16 conducted a number of monitoring visits to places of deprivation of liberty in Karakalpakstan.

The two-day monitoring visit began at Detention Center No. 2 in Nukus. This pre-trial detention center is designed to hold defendants in custody as a measure of restraint. The total capacity of the institution is 350 people. On the day of the visit, there were 252 people in the pre-trial detention center. During the visit, the conditions of detention of the accused and defendants, premises for short-term meetings, a medical unit and their living quarters were examined.

During the monitoring, the fact of providing food to prisoners in accordance with the requirements of the standards approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and the conditions of food storage were also separately studied.

During the monitoring visit to the remand prison, a group meeting was held with the detainees and their opinions on the conditions of detention were heard. At the end of the visit, the Ombudsman held individual conversations with some of the detainees at their request in accordance with the Law “On the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman)”.

The next address of the participants of the monitoring visit led by the Ombudsman was the Psychiatric Dispensary No. 1 in Nukus. When visiting this dispensary, the main attention was paid to the conditions created for patients and ensuring their legal rights. On the day of the visit, 396 patients were treated in this dispensary.

During the visit, it became known that outsourcing of patient nutrition in this institution is carried out in accordance with established standards and quality of nutrition, and the necessary recommendations were given.

Also, during the monitoring visit to the dispensary, the dispensary management was recommended to install a playground in accordance with the safety rules in the children's service department.

During the two-day visit, monitoring visits were made to a special reception for administrative detainees in Nukus, the temporary detention center of the Nukus city Coordinating Department of Internal Affairs, the regional branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Narcology of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as to colony No. 28 and 27 located in the Kungrad region.

Based on the results of the visits, the administrations of institutions were given appropriate recommendations to eliminate the identified shortcomings.

It should be noted that the results of torture prevention monitoring are reflected in the annual report of the Authorized Person to the chambers of the Oliy Majlis.

Press service of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights  (Ombudsman)