"Support the victims of torture! Stop impunity!" campaign launched in Tajikistan

The NGO Coalition against Torture in Tajikistan announced the launch of a new campaign "Support the victims of torture! Stop impunity!” that will continue until 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

During the next ten days the Coalition will publish the stories of victims of torture and ill-treatment on its website www.notorture.tj as well as through its social network accounts.

If you are against torture and violence, you can add a comment under the stories, send messages of encouragement for the victims of torture and ill-treatment and their families, or repost the story and involve more people in the campaign.

All words of encouragement will be delivered to the victims of torture and ill-treatment and their families, and published on the Coalition’s website on the final day of the campaign.

In the framework of the campaign, a video for the support of the victims of torture, prepared by our partner the Kazakhstani NGO Coalition against Torture and translated into Tajik, will be screened on the city public shuttle buses  numbers 2,16, 25 and 46 from 20 to 26 June.

Also from 24 to 26 June a video with Tajik and Russian subtitles on the basic principle set out in Article 5 of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms which states that "no one shall be subjected to torture and ill-treatment” will be screened on large monitors in Dushanbe  (near the hotel “Tajikistan”, TV “Safina” and the monument to Somoni).

Campaign events will also be held in Khatlon and Sughd provinces. The campaign will start on 24 of June in Khujand and Kurgan-Tube, with  a photo exhibition about the victims of torture, which will be attended by government representatives , the media and international organizations. The exhibition will also be open to anyone who wants to express zero tolerance towards torture.

We are against torture! And you? Say “NO” to torture and impunity!

Information about the Coalition: The NGO Coalition against Torture was established in 2011 to consolidate civil society's efforts to combat torture and impunity. The Coalition is comprised of 11 NGOs which include about 80 lawyers, journalists, psychologists, and legal experts.

The Coalition’s main goals are to document cases of torture, provide  legal and psychological assistance to victims of torture and their families, and advocacy  efforts towards the public authorities to encourage the development of a "zero tolerance" policy to torture in Tajikistan.