OSCE Centre supports prevention of violent extremism in Kyrgyzstan’s prisons

A two-day seminar for some 50 prison officers on preventing violent extremism and radicalization in prisons took place at the Penitentiary Administration Training Centre in Bishkek on 25-26 November 2014.

The seminar, organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Penitentiary Administration and other local law enforcement agencies, aimed at strengthening the skills of prison officers directly involved in inmates’ education and boosting co-operation between governmental structures and civil society.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan Toktomushev Maksatbek who delivered a welcoming speech on the issue of religious extremism.

“Prisoners are highly vulnerable to messages exploiting religion. The OSCE Centre, within the context of its counter-terrorism and penitentiary programmes, offers a wide range of capacity building activities to help prevent the violent radicalization and terrorist recruitment of prisoners in penitentiary establishments,” said OSCE Centre in Bishkek Penitentiary Reform Adviser Miroslaw Nowak.

Colonel Enteriev Oroz Zhumabaevich, Internal service operational regime department head, said: "Representatives of different services visit the institutions and explain to prisoners the difference between traditional Islam and extremist interpretations exploiting Islam. We commend the Center’s work for its consistent commitment in supporting the penitentiary institutions and for organizing similar seminars in the past three years”.

This seminar is part of the efforts of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in supporting the implementation the 2012-2016 National Strategy on the Development of Penitentiary System Reform.