A new special prison is being built in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, a facility for senior state officials. Another prison is being built as well in the republic, this one for lifers (capital punishment is to be abolished as of 2008).

A prison reserved for senior state officials is something truly extraordinary - both in post-Soviet countries and elsewhere in the world. What are the motives behind this unorthodox decision of the Uzbek authorities? Ferghana.Ru approached human rights activist Surat Ikramov for comments.

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Surat Ikramov: Beginning with 2005, a lot of senior officials stood trial in Uzbekistan. These trials were inevitably shrouded in a veil of secrecy with never a mention of them in the media but news did leak. General public did discover who was tried, what for, and what the verdict was.

Trial of Ismail Jurabekov, former deputy premier and President Islam Karimov's advisor, was the first. It was followed by the trial of ex-justice minister Palvan-zade. Both were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and both were immediately amnestied. Defense Minister Kadyrov was tried too and so was Kozim Tulyaganov (once a deputy premier and hokim or mayor of Tashkent who eventually became the head of the Tashkent regional administration).

This latter drew something truly bizarre - 20 years imprisonment, sentence to be suspended. First and only time I heard about anything like that. Ordinarily, it is sentences stipulating 2 or 3 years behind the bars that are suspended... but 20 years?

It was then that the rumors began that all these men escaped imprisonment because of the problem of their isolation. In other words, the authorities could not have these people serve time in a commonplace prison or colony, not even in the one in Bekabad reserved for former policemen, officers of the army, and officials of tax structures and customs. Can you imagine a defense minister or, say, chief of the national counterintelligence service rubbing shoulders with inmates in an ordinary colony, with commonplace criminals? That was probably why the authorities decided to build for them a special prison, a place where people like that could be isolated. It is not something that can be expected in a commonplace prison or colony, right? Besides, company of other inmates was to be taken into consideration. In ordinary prisons, imprisoned state officials will deal with ordinary criminals which is dangerous to life and limb (1) and poses a threat of leaks (2). Indeed, very many of these men are privy to state secrets.

Ferghana.Ru: What kind of information do you think the authorities want contained: state secrets or information on all sorts of shadow deals and frauds?

Surat Ikramov: Both. We live in society where there is no freedom of expression or transparency. It is all too human for people to want to know what is happening in the upper echelons of state power. That is why the authorities fear leaks.

Ferghana.Ru: Are you saying that should a former state official find himself serving time in Bekabad, other inmates will certainly badger him with questions about how things are done at the government level and that it constitutes information the authorities would like kept under the lid?

Surat Ikramov: Right. When a senior state official is convicted, putting him in a commonplace jail is always a risk. First and foremost, for the regime itself. I reckon that security in the new prison will be so tight as to allay all fears on that score.

Ferghana.Ru: What kind of conditions will be there, I wonder? Like elsewhere or better - with TV sets and refrigerators in cells? Swimming pools, gyms?

Surat Ikramov: I'd say that there will be no second-tier bunks in cells, that's all. We have some colonies for 1,500 inmates in Uzbekistan into which 3,500 to 4,000 people are crammed, according to former prisoners themselves. There are even cells where bunks are arranged in three tiers. Not even the Tashkent jail is an exception. A former inmate once told me that there are cells there where inmates take turns to sleep. The Tashkent jail is crammed because it is nothing but a detention cell by specifications. On the other hand, there are people on the death row in it too, there are cells for women as well. Some people spend years there - years! - even though it is a detention cell.

Ferghana.Ru: Does it mean that Uzbekistan needs more prisons?

Surat Ikramov: One could say so. As a matter of fact, it is hardly surprising that prisons in a dictatorial state get crammed in no time at all. It is quite natural. Hence the amnesties the authorities proclaim every year. They know they have to get the load off the prisons, at least for short periods. On the other hand, a constant inflow of inmates makes prisons overcrowded again in no time at all.

A prison for lifers is being built not far from the colony in Jaslyk. Its construction began last year and I hear it is almost ready now. This prison is expected to contain 200 to 300 lifers.

As for the future prison for ex-state officials, it is a three-storey yellow building, fairly roomy. The fence around it is high - 5 meters or so. Sure, there will be some smaller buildings inside the perimeter too. The building is located on Gvardeiskaya Street in Tashkent, not far from the Abrasive Materials Factory. The impression is that this facility is practically ready. Even the guards are already there.

Ferghana.Ru: Waiting for its first customers?

Surat Ikramov: Longing to receive them.