"Light of Knowledge and Hope": A book donation ceremony at the women's correctional facility.
On December 19, 2024, a ceremony was held at the cultural center of the "Sadokat" park in the Zangiata district of Tashkent region, where distribution materials and books on human rights, along with personal hygiene items for women serving sentences in correctional colony No. 21 of the Zangiata district, were handed over.
The event was organized by the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan in collaboration with the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan and the Department of Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The purpose of the initiative was to provide incarcerated women with access to educational and legal literature, as well as to improve sanitary and hygienic conditions in detention.
The ceremony was attended by the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador A. Karttunen, the Deputy Head of the Department of Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan O. Satimbaev, the Head of Colony No. 21 G. Karimova, the First Deputy Director of the National Center for Human Rights M. Tilla boev, the Deputy Director of the National Center for Human Rights D. Muratova, and other officials and staff from the Department of Execution of Sentences.
As noted by M. Tilla boev, more than 600 units of literature were donated during the event, including issues of the magazine "Democratization and Human Rights," as well as personal hygiene items. He emphasized that Uzbekistan is taking active measures to fulfill its international obligations in the field of human rights, including the protection of the rights of women, children, and the prevention of torture. Special attention is being paid to the implementation of international human rights standards that have received constitutional status.
Ambassador A. Karttunen highlighted that this initiative is being implemented within the framework of the project "Support for Promoting the National Gender Equality Mechanism" and is a continuation of the work initiated at the expert roundtable "Gender-Sensitive Management Strategies in Correctional Institutions: Best Practices and Key Issues," which took place on October 31 of this year. He noted that the event aligns with the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and aims to improve the conditions for women in places of detention, including ensuring a gender-sensitive approach, enhancing sanitary conditions, and providing access to personal hygiene items, as well as opportunities for education and cultural development.
O. Satimbaev discussed the recent changes in legislation aimed at humanizing the conditions of detention for prisoners, including the expansion of rights to communicate with relatives, receive education, and access medical care. He also noted the provision of access to correctional facilities for representatives of the Ombudsman, the National Center for Human Rights, and other authorized bodies.
G. Karimova emphasized the important role of books in the rehabilitation process of inmates and noted that all conditions have been created in the institution to access library resources.
As D. Muratova pointed out, the ongoing reforms are aimed at ensuring human rights and freedoms and comply with the new constitutional and legal conditions. The main goal of updating the library resources of the colony is to assist individuals in difficult life situations to reintegrate into society, giving them a chance for a new life.
Press Service of the National Center
of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights.