Uzbekistan Delegation Visits Detention Facilities in Belarus

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — An Uzbek delegation, participating in an international conference of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Human Rights Commission, visited a pre-trial detention center and the Republican Hospital for Convicts operated by the Penal Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.

The visit included participation by M. Tillabaev, First Deputy Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a member of the CIS Human Rights Commission; D. Turaev, senior adviser from the Office of the Ombudsman; N. Usarov, Consul of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Minsk; and E. Paramonova, Chair of the CIS Human Rights Commission.

The purpose of the visit was to meet with Uzbek citizens held in penitentiary institutions, examine issues related to the protection of their rights and legitimate interests, and provide necessary consular and legal assistance.

During the visit, delegation members held conversations with Uzbek citizens detained in the pre-trial facility. They were briefed on their rights, procedures for filing appeals to competent authorities, and mechanisms for interaction with consular services.

Particular attention was paid to procedural safeguards, access to consular support, the provision of legal information, and maintaining contact with relatives.

The visit to the penitentiary institution and meetings with Uzbek citizens were described as an important practical part of the CIS Human Rights Commission’s activities aimed at strengthening interstate cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights abroad.