TASHKENT (UZA) — Uzbekistan’s prison population has declined sharply over the past decade as a result of liberal reforms implemented in the country’s judicial system, Uzbek Interior Minister Pulat Bobojonov said in an interview with the state news agency UZA.

According to Bobojonov, presently, Uzbekistan has a total prison population of 22,900, which is 67 inmates per 100,000 people (156 in Kazakhstan, 161 in Kyrgyzstan, 121 in Tajikistan). The number of detainees was disclosed after the government’s resolution to ensure the transparency of its penitentiary system earlier this year.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has pushed for a series of reforms to liberalise the judicial system since taking office in 2016.