The key facts

  • The Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed new tariffs: for a two-person long-term visit room — 20% of the BRV per day instead of the current 5%, for a three-person room — 25% instead of 10%, for a four-person room — 30% instead of 15%.
  • A minute of a remote video meeting will cost 0.5% of the BRV, a minute of a telephone call — 0.1% of the BRV; actual time is recorded by the 'Qal'a' system.
  • Payment is cashless only, before the visit begins; institution staff are not allowed to accept cash.

New tariffs put forward for discussion

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan has published for public discussion a draft resolution providing for the introduction of new tariffs for long-term visits with convicts, remote video meetings and telephone calls in penal institutions. The draft has been posted on the regulatory acts discussion portal of the Ministry of Justice, Kun.uz reports on it.

What changes compared to the current rates

According to the draft regulation, tariffs will be calculated based on the basic calculated value (BRV) in effect on the day of payment. For the use of a long-term visit room, the following daily charges are proposed: for a two-person room — 20% of the BRV, for a three-person room — 25%, for a four-person room — 30%. For comparison, under the current tariffs these amounts are 5%, 10% and 15% of the BRV respectively — that is, the fee for a two-person room will increase fourfold. Even if a visit lasts less than a day, payment is charged at the full daily rate.

Video calls, telephone and payment procedure

A fee of 0.5% of the BRV per minute is proposed for a remote video meeting, and 0.1% of the BRV per minute for a telephone call. The actual time used is recorded automatically through the centralized information system 'Qal'a', and payment for an incomplete minute is charged proportionally. Payment for a visit room must be made before the visit begins in cashless form — by bank cards, through electronic payment systems or by other means not prohibited by law; acceptance of cash by institution staff is not allowed.

What the funds will be used for

The draft provides for the targeted use of revenue from video meetings and telephone calls: for maintaining in working order and servicing communication devices, servers, network and telecommunications equipment, expenses for communication channels and secure data transmission channels, as well as for ensuring information and cybersecurity, including the purchase, implementation and updating of information security tools. The draft is still at the discussion stage, so the final tariffs may change before a decision is adopted.