The Coalition Against Torture sent a letter to the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan recommending to choose an alternative non-custodial measure of restraint for suspects.

The organization notes that the spread of coronavirus infection is inexorably growing and this raises concerns about the density of people held in closed institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic (temporary detention centers, pre-trial detention centers, prison colonies and prisons).

People in custody and in prisons are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 in compact accommodation and limited prevention conditions, including inability to maintain a safe distance and isolation.

Coalition Against Torture

The Coalition added that the courts, when considering cases on the choice of a preventive measure, in most cases satisfy the prosecutor’s request for detention. «The courts still quite rarely use preventive measures not related to isolation from society. However, the applicants report in their appeals that quite often the decisions on detention by the courts are based solely on the arguments of the petitions of the prosecutor’s office,» the organization added.

The Coalition believes that the active choosing by the courts of an alternative preventive measure will help contain the spread of the virus, protect people in places of restriction of freedom, employees of the penal system and law enforcement agencies from it.