ISTANBUL, January 11. /«Dunyo» IA/. With the aim of providing consular and legal assistance to Uzbek citizens accused of committing crimes during their stay in Turkiye or currently under investigation, representatives of the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Istanbul visited women’s and men’s correctional facilities in Izmir, «Dunyo» IA’s correspondent reports.

During the visit, the diplomats reviewed the conditions of detention of Uzbek citizens, including the state of medical care, food provision, access to telephone communications, meetings with lawyers and close relatives, as well as the receipt of parcels.

Following talks with the administrations of the correctional institutions, an agreement was reached to hold regular meetings between diplomats and Uzbek nationals in the future and to strengthen cooperation in providing consular and legal assistance to citizens of Uzbekistan.

In the course of individual meetings with the detainees, their concerns were addressed, and they were informed about their rights and freedoms, as well as their obligations under Turkish law. The possibility of transferring prisoners to Uzbekistan to serve their sentences in their home country was also discussed.