On August 24, during the working trip, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Tula Region Galina Fomina took part in the service training for the heads of the institutions of the Federal Penitentiary System of Russia in the region.

The Ombudsperson told the UFSIN staff and guests about the activities of the regional human rights institution in the sphere of ensuring and protecting the rights of prisoners.

Galina Fomina said that more than 10 thousand received appeals prove the citizens’ trust to the Commissioner’s office, the effective constructive relations with public authorities, public human rights organizations and the scientific community conduce effective work.

The cooperation between the Commissioner and the UFSIN of Russia in the Tula region is carried out on the basis of an agreement on cooperation concluded in 2013. The existing practice of cooperation is dictated by the tasks of the Commissioner’s institution and the UFSIN, as well as the appeals of prisoners.

So, an effective form of interaction is the "Hour of Control". This measure allows to quickly obtain information concerning the effectivity of measures that the UFSIN and its subordinate institutions take defending the applicant’s rights for each specific request received by the Commissioner.

According to Galina Fomina, one of the main tasks of the state human rights defender is legal education on issues of rights and freedoms, forms and methods of their protection. Within the framework of this activity, the "Hour of Information" project for convicts has been successfully cunducted for more than four years. Tula Public Prosecutor for Supervision of Compliance with Laws, representatives of the Tula Region, social protection bodies, migration service units, pension fund, medical institutions are also involved in it.

During the lesson, the institutions heads of the UFSIN of Russia in the Tula region had the opportunity to ask the Commissioner questions on the current topics of ensuring and protecting the rights of convicts.

During the working trip Galina Fomina visited the women’s ward of SIZO-1, where she met with the prisoners, examined the conditions of their detention, answered questions. In addition, the Commissioner held a personal reception for convicts. The consideration of all the received complaints is under the personal control of the regional Commissioner.

Adapted from the press service of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Tula region