Uzbek Senate Approves Law Reducing Prison Terms for Reading Books

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Senate of Uzbekistan has approved a law allowing a reduction in prison sentences for inmates who read books from a special list, the press service of the upper chamber of parliament reported.

Under the new legislation, amendments to the Criminal Code permit a reduction of three days from an inmate’s sentence for each book read from a list approved by the Republican Center for Spirituality and Enlightenment. These books are intended to foster spiritual and moral values among prisoners. The verification of whether a book has been read will be determined by a special commission.

The total sentence reduction cannot exceed 30 days per year. The new measure will affect over 13,500 inmates in correctional facilities.

The Senate clarified that this benefit applies only to those eligible for parole and does not apply to life-sentenced prisoners.