DUSHANBE, January 21, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Financing of penitentiary system is increasing from year to year and the government is doing a lot to ensure proper prison maintenance management, Justice Minister Bakhtiyor Khudoyorov told reporters on January 20.

“Three new pretrial detention facilities have been built in Kulob, Khorog and Khujand over the past two-three years.  The pretrial detention facility in Khujand has been built under design of European countries and meets international norms of holding of prisoners,” the minister said, stressing that a central hospital and rehabilitation center for inmates with HIV have been constructed.

According to him, each of penitentiary institutions has its subsidiary plot.  “All these institutions are provided with mosques and rooms of worship,” Khudoyorov noted.

In the meantime, the minister refrained from giving information about the number of prisoners and amount of funds allocated by the government every year for prison maintenance, including daily food rations for inmates.

We will recall that according to the data from the Supreme Court of Tajikistan, 7,491 people were convicted last year for various crimes.