DUSHANBE, July 22, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- 247 women are currently serving their sentences in female penal colony # 8 in the city of Norak, Ms. Qimmatgul Allaberdiyeva, the first deputy chairperson of the Committee for Family and Women’s Affairs, told a press conference in Dushanbe on July 20.

According to her, the majority of them were convicted of fraud, theft, hooliganism as well as killing.  “Girls and women aged 14 to 74 are currently being held in this penal colony,” Allaberdiyeva said, noting that underage girls and young women constitute less than 50 percent of the over number of inmates in that penal colony.

Ms. Allaberdiyeva noted that the committee has initiated involvement of female prisoners in agricultural work.  “We have decided to use one of presidential grants in an amount of 40,000 somoni provided to the committee for organizing a plot of land at the penal colony in order that inmates could grow vegetables for themselves.”