The protection of human rights in penitentiary institutions and the exchange of information on prisoners’ legal rights and freedoms were the focus of a two-day online seminar on 16 and 17 November 2021. The event was organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR).
Experts Laura Jaffrey from the OSCE/ODIHR office in Warsaw and Olivia Rope from Penal Reform International presented international standards, emphasizing the treatment of women prisoners. Experts Zhanna Nazarova and Maya Tulendieva from Kazakhstan, Victor Zaharia from Moldova and Ruslan Romanov from Kyrgyzstan shared national experiences in developing a probation system and discussed a broad range of issues concerning the exercise of legitimate rights and freedoms of prisoners, security in penitentiary institutions and prison staff training.
The seminar was organized for representatives of the Mejlis (lower chamber) of the Milli Gengesh (Parliament) of Turkmenistan, Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Security, State Migration and Border Services, Supreme Court, Ombudsperson’s Office, Bar Association, and Institute of State, Law and Democracy.
“Penitentiary officers should have the necessary knowledge to carry out their duties and receive appropriate training to ensure their knowledge and skills are up-to-date. This is particularly relevant for officers working with special groups of prisoners, such as juveniles and youth, women and people with mental health problems, as well as high-security prisoners,” said John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
Discussions focused on the importance of protecting prisoners’ health and countering the spread of COVID-19 in the institutions of the penal correction system. Since 2009, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, has jointly organized a number of workshops and training courses in the field of prisoners’ rights, and on other aspects related to the work of the penitentiary system.
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Source: Centre of OSCE in Ashgabat.
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