"Combating Torture: Experience and Achievements": General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Tajikistan

"Respect for human rights and freedoms, including the prevention of torture and ill-treatment, is one of the most important tasks of state authorities," stated Abdugaffor Hikmatullozoda, First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Tajikistan on October 25 in Dushanbe, speaking at the conference “Combating Torture: Experience and Achievements”. According to him, the President of Tajikistan has repeatedly condemned torture, stressing that no law enforcement officer should under any circumstances resort to torture and humiliation or degradation of an individual.

According to the General Prosecutor's Office, in 2018 there were 10 complaints of torture, of which 6 were referred for inspection, in 2019 there were 20 such appeals, of which 14 were referred for inspection, in 2020 there were no complaints of torture, in 2021 there were 11 such appeals (all referred for inspection), since the beginning of 2022, there were 6 appeals (5 were referred for inspection).     

The conference was organized by the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan together with the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Tajikistan with the assistance of the OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe, International Commission of Jurists and Sigrid Rausing Trust.

The main purpose of the conference was to discuss pressing issues in the area of combating torture and ill-treatment in Tajikistan.

The conference was attended by international experts, representatives of state bodies, law enforcement agencies, courts, the prosecutor's office, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Tajikistan, international organizations and embassies, as well as public organizations, members of the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan, and the mass media.