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KYRGYZSTAN

The Kyrgyz penitentiary system is still similar to that of the Soviet era. It is organized as camps/colonies where the prisoners live in communities in a secured perimeter. The prisoners are free to move in this area also outside their buildings. They are divided into three categories adolescents, women and men. For several years now the government of Kyrgyzstan has been engaged in a prison reform programme with the help of the international community. The OSCE, UNODC and the international NGO Freedom House have been very active in supporting those reforms.

This reportage shows my immersion into four different prison colonies over a one month period. It is above all meant to be a testimony, a humanist look on life and the conditions in which people live.