The authorities of Turkmenistan intend to grant access to foreign diplomats to “Ovan-depe” prison within the forthcoming two or three months, ANT reports.
According to the media outlet, the visit will be held with a view of “improving the image of the country in front of the international community” in the run-up to the Asian Games which are scheduled to be held in September.
As of today neither the precise date of the visit nor the composition of the delegation which will be granted access to the penitentiary facility is known.However, the executives of the penitentiary facility are getting ready for the inspection.
On a daily basis commissions from the Healthcare Ministry, the Central Board of the Interior Ministry pay visits to “Ovan-depeto check the condition of wards and toilets, to inspect the canteen, food storage facilities and to to get some feedback from inmates regarding complaints or health-related issues.
The diplomats are expected to be admitted only to certain sections of the prison. Visiting the inmates serving sentences in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on former President Saparmurat Niyazov and those convicted on religious grounds is not envisaged. The ANT source said that diplomats would be barred from speaking to inmates.