OSCE Centre co-organizes roundtable meeting on prevention of torture in Kazakhstan
ALMATY, 27 June 2009 - Participants in an OSCE-supported meeting held today in Almaty discussed effective mechanisms to prevent torture in Kazakhstan and measures to strengthen the role of the civil society in monitoring places of detention.
The one-day event marked the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed 26 June and brought together 50 participants from governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, the academic community and international organizations. The agenda included discussions on policy measures, best practices and strategies to implement the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was ratified by Kazakhstan in 2008.
The discussion focused on increasing public oversight of places of detention and correction facilities based on the experience of the Public Observation Commissions. These bodies are composed of Kazakhstan-based NGOs that monitor whether the conditions of detainees and prisoners at detention facilities are in line with international human rights standards.
Jeannette Kloetzer, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, noted that Kazakhstan was about to choose a model for its National Preventive Mechanism against torture. Such bodies must be established in each state party to the Protocol to monitor places of detention and institutions of confinement in an independent way with the aim to uncover and prevent cases of torture.
"As authorities make this choice, it is important they take into account the role and experience of the civil society in order to make the National Preventive Mechanism body truly independent and institutionally and financially sustainable," she said.
Vera Tkachenko, Director of the Legal Police Research Centre NGO, said: "It is crucial that the National Preventive Mechanism possesses all necessary functions to implement its mandate. This includes unlimited access to all places of detention and the right to conduct unannounced visits to detention facilities. The mechanism should also serve as a link between the civil society, the authorities and other stakeholders."
Meeting participants agreed to co-ordinate their efforts on monitoring cases of torture and ill-treatment and further co-operate with state authorities on developing a preventive mechanism in Kazakhstan.
The roundtable discussion, co-organized by the OSCE Centre with the National Centre for Human Rights under the Ombudsman's Office, Penal Reform International/Kazakhstan and the Legal Policy Research Centre NGO, is a part of the OSCE Centre's multi-year activities aimed at developing anti-torture mechanisms and empowering civil society to fight torture and ill-treatment.