OSCE Centre trains prison officers in Kyrgyzstan's northern provinces

KARAKOL, Kyrgyzstan, 7 September 2009 - A basic training course for middle-ranking prison officers from Kyrgyzstan's northern regions, supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, started today at the pre-trial prison in Karakol.

The one-week course will train 23 officers from all of the country's northern prisons in penitentiary management, including security matters, education and treatment of inmates, human rights protection of prisoners, best international practices and preventing torture.

"The training course is the first of its kind for middle-ranking prison officers in the northern provinces, and marks the successful conclusion of the OSCE Centre's initiative to train all prison staff in Kyrgyzstan," said Miroslaw Nowak, the OSCE Centre's Penitentiary Reform Adviser.

Aibek Turganbaev, the Head of the Chief Penitentiary Department of the Justice Ministry, added: "Such field training courses are a strong step towards building the capacity of prison personnel."

The course is part of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek's prison reform programme, and was organized jointly with the Training Centre for Prison Personnel of the Justice Ministry's Chief Penitentiary Department. Similar training courses were held in the south in Osh and Jalal-Abad.