The crisis in the Transnistrian region, generated by the halt in gas supplies by the Russian Federation, has also affected the so-called penitentiaries in the Transnistrian region. Contacted by IPN for a comment, Promo-LEX lawyer Vadim Vieru said that with the interruption of gas supply, thousands of people were left to freeze in places of detention. In order to monitor the situation, the lawyer proposes creating an independent mission that should include the ombudsman, who has the competence to make such visits.
Asked about the conditions in the so-called Transnistrian penitentiaries in the context of the energy crisis, the lawyer of Promo-LEX said that the available public information is limited, given that "it is an area to which the constitutional authorities do not have access". Thus, the information comes from relatives of persons in detention and also from employees and former employees of the respective institutions.
Vadim Vieru noted that most of the penitentiaries had natural gas-fired boilers. With the cessation of the gas supply, the boiler houses stopped working. The lawyer said that, although these boilers can be switched to both wood and coal, this, however, does not change the situation much because there is a shortage of such materials as well. The situation is quite difficult and the detainees stay in cold.
The lawyer said that providing penitentiaries with coal or other materials that could be used as a heating agent would be a priority solution. In his opinion, immediately releasing the people held as political prisoners is another measure. Vadim Vieru reiterated that the Transnistrian administration, once it keeps these people in custody, is obliged to provide them with heat in the places of detention.
According to the lawyer of Promo-LEX, there are six penitentiaries with almost 2,000 detainees in the Transnistrian region.
