News by the Committee for Protecting Persecuted Citizens of Turkmenistan

The equipment which blocks cell phone signals is being installed in penitentiary institutions of Turkmenistan.

Just a few inmates have the opportunity to keep in touch with their family members on a regular basis and until recently the cell phones, which were occasionally brought to prisons and colonies bypassing the bans, were the only means of communication with the outside world.

Starting from July 1, the devices popularly referred to as "cell phone silencers", started to be installed in maximum and minimum security prisons.

In civilized countries in addition to access to means of communication, inmates can have access to the Internet.

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As has been previously reported, on 17 June 2013 Begli Kurbanmuradov died of an extensive heart attack in the maximum security prison in the city of Bairam-Aly. As was found out, a week before his death B. Kurbanmuradov was placed in an isolation ward by the colony's executive in order to punish him for his "excessive willfulness and arrogance".

Kurbanmuradov's health had deteriorated after spending over eight years in prison. His condition exacerbated after he had been placed in an isolation ward. As a result Kurbanmuradov did not receive adequate medical assistance and subsequently died.

Source: TIHR