In Dagestan, prisoners complain of a ban to make namaz

The inmates of the corrective establishments, located in the territory of the Republic of Dagestan, complain that they are forbidden to execute their morning religious rites, which was allowed earlier. The bosses from the Department for Dagestan of the Federal Service of Enforcing Punishments (known as "UFSIN") say that there is no ban, if the rites do not break the internal regulations of the corrective institutions.

"Prisoners of the corrective establishments of Dagestan have addressed the 'Chernovik' weekly, in particular, from the colony-settlement, located in Kizilyurt, and prisoners of the minimum security colonies, including the one in Tyube village. They were surprised with the position of the administration, who no longer let them executing their morning namaz, which Moslems make at 5 or 6 in the morning in prison mosques," Magomed Magomedov, a journalist of the Dagestan-based weekly "Chernovik", said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Earlier, prisoners were allowed to leave their cells, go to mosques and collectively make namaz; after which they returned to their cells; they were locked there and continued sleeping till the official wakeup. The present ban is explained by some instruction from the UFSIN, which toughens the internal regulations.

Colonel of Internal Troops Omar Omarov, Deputy Head of the Department of Russian UFSIN for the Republic of Dagestan, said in his comments on the issue to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that there was no ban on making namaz in corrective establishments of Dagestan. The point is also of observance of internal regulations in corrective establishments.