In the Abai region, a touching video meeting of a brother and sister separated by fate and mistakes of the past for a long thirteen years took place at the maximum security institution.

           The 43-year-old convict is serving a sentence for distributing narcotic drugs. The only close person who stayed by his side all these years was his 46-year-old sister. In the first five years, she regularly visited him on dates, wrote letters and was morally supportive. However, one day he received a letter that was a real blow to him — it no longer came from his native home, but from places of detention. As it turned out, his sister ended up in a women's colony herself. After being released, she stumbled again and was sent to the maximum security facility in Shymkent.

             Upon learning about this, the administration of the institution decided to help the convict and organized a video meeting with his sister for him.

             "My sister and I grew up too soon."… After the death of our parents, we were left all alone and learned to live as best we could. I always believed that I should have been a support, an example, and a protection for her. But it turned out the opposite. Today, I realize with pain in my heart that if I had chosen an honest path twenty years ago, if I had not become involved in crime, perhaps her fate would have turned out differently. Maybe now she would be a happy woman, a caring mother, living a normal life. This feeling of guilt doesn't let go of me for a single day. This meeting was the most emotional moment in our lives: for a few minutes of conversation, I simultaneously felt joy at seeing my sister and pain at the fact that our destinies had turned out this way. But at the same time, I had hope that after we were released, we would definitely meet, hug each other and start a new, honest and happy life. I am wholeheartedly grateful to the staff of the institution for giving us the opportunity to see each other and giving us this invaluable moment," the convict shared.

              - Maintaining family ties is an essential element of the resocialization of convicts. Such meetings of relatives, especially after many years of separation, help people rethink their lives and strengthen their desire to embark on the path of correction. That is why we always try to support such initiatives," said Ermek Rakhimov, head of the Department of educational and socio-psychological work among convicts.

               This story has become a reminder that even outside the walls of high-security institutions, there are living human feelings, hope and the desire to change their lives.  Thirteen years later, a brother and sister met at the maximum security facility in the Abai region.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/duisabai/press/news/details/1197005?lang=kk