The OSCE Mission to Moldova provides support and advice on a range of human rights and democratization issues, including combating torture and ill-treatment. In 2012, for example, the Mission supported the training of members of local detention-monitoring commissions by the Moldovan Institute for Human Rights.
This yearlong project, aimed at developing local monitoring commissions into active and effective torture-prevention and rights-monitoring mechanisms, took place in three different regions of Moldova.
The following photo story includes images from a study visit to a police commissariat and a penitentiary in Soroca in the north of Moldova on 19 October 2012.
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The Head of the Soroca Police Commissariat acted as a guide during the study visit. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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During the yearlong course, commission members and representatives of local authorities gained legal knowledge about their responsibilities, as well as reporting and other practical skills for monitoring places of detention, including police commissariats, penitentiaries and psychiatric hospitals. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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The Mission monitors efforts made by the Moldovan Government and civil society to prevent and address torture and degrading treatment. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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Jaqueline Carpenter, Senior Human Rights Officer at the Mission to Moldova, co-ordinated the project and also took part in a number of project-related visits. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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The Mission also supported the Government’s efforts to establish and develop a National Prevention Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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The Mission closely monitors Moldova's legal reforms in the field of human rights and rule of law, provides expertise on draft legislation and follows its implementation closely. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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The Mission provides expertise and support aimed at improving legislation and institutional practices, and it conducts monitoring visits at places of detention on both banks of the Dniestr/Nistru River. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)
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The Mission’s focus has been on strengthening the role and capacity of civil society to monitor places of detention. (OSCE/Igor Schimbător)