"Combating Torture: Experience and Achievements": Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan "

Respect of the rights of convicted prisoners is the highest priority of the penitentiary policy. Citizen's imprisonment is not a ground for derogation of his rights and lawful interests, the Constitution of Tajikistan guarantees the right to protection of every citizen regardless of gender, race, nationality, or criminal record," stated Fakhriddin Zubaidzoda, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences (MDECS) of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan speaking at the conference "Combating Torture: Experience and Achievements" on October 25 in Dushanbe.

According to him, systematizing the issues of observance of the rights and legitimate interests of persons serving sentences, the basic methods, and techniques of their observance, and the problems of improving the legislation on the legal status of convicted persons could have a major impact on observing the rights and legitimate interests of convicts, remanded in custody, as well as detainees.

"No cases of torture of prisoners have been recorded in prisons of the country in the last two years. In the premises of the closed institutions of the MDECS system, video surveillance cameras have been installed," mentioned Fakhriddin Zubaidzoda.

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.