A new regime has been established in Kyrgyzstan’s prisons, aimed at eliminating criminal influence and establishing strict order. Daiyrbek Orunbekov, head of the Information Policy Service of the Presidential Administration, announced on social media.
Previously, convicted prisoners did not work at all, were supported entirely by the state, and were under the control of so-called «thieves in law.» It is noted that only a limited group of prisoners received privileges, while the rest lived in harsh conditions and were forced to collect money for crime bosses every month. It is estimated that hundreds of millions of soms passed through this system.
Now, Daiyrbek Orunbekov claims, the state has fully restored order in the prisons. Production facilities, including small factories, farms, and agricultural plots, have been opened. Prisoners grow vegetables, raise livestock, and provide themselves with food, generating income for the state. He believes that conditions have become equal for everyone: prisoners work, are provided with free uniforms, and receive three meals a day. Some can now even send their earnings to their families, whereas previously they would have asked relatives for assistance, Daiyrbek Orunbekov said.
In his opinion, such changes were impossible to achieve previously because the previous authorities maintained ties with criminal organizations and were unable to establish order in the prisons.
