Uzbek, Tajik inmates reportedly riot over 'tortured' comrade
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 May 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uzbek, Tajik inmates reportedly riot over 'tortured' comrade, 14 May 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53a13a081a.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 14, 2014
By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service
Uzbek and Tajik inmates in a penal colony in Russia's Siberian city of Omsk say they rioted on May 13, demanding investigations into the death of a jailed migrant worker from Tajikistan.
The inmates told RFE/RL that some 100 prisoners from Central Asia – mainly Uzbeks and Tajiks – took part in the riot in Penal Colony No. 6.
They say an inmate from Tajikistan, Bekhzod Otaboboev, was tortured to death by prison guards.
Penitentiary authorities deny both the torture and the riot.
However, the inmates told RFE/RL that following the riot, which they say lasted for several hours, the penal colony's administration agreed to transfer inmates from Central Asia from so-called "adaptation blocks," where they say prisoners are mistreated by guards, to regular barracks.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website