OSCE and Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman hold workshop on torture prevention mechanism

BAKU, 26 April 2012 – A workshop organized by the OSCE Office in Baku and the Ombudsman Office of Azerbaijan on detention monitoring and reporting on cases of torture under national preventive mechanisms (NPMs) started today.

The goal of this two-day event, which brings together more than 40 participants, is to improve the monitoring and reporting skills of staff involved in the national preventive mechanism in Azerbaijan, taking into account good practices that exist in other countries.

“We believe that the Azerbaijani national preventive mechanism has a key role to play in the country’s efforts to prevent torture and any other forms of ill-treatment,” said Ambassador Koray Targay, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, opening the event. “I therefore hope that this workshop will foster ongoing joint efforts for ultimately ensuring effective protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty.”

National and international experts will discuss with representatives of the Azerbaijani NPM the theoretical and practical aspects of torture prevention, international and regional standards related to the prohibition and prevention of ill-treatment, types of monitoring, reporting the NPM’s findings, as well as interview techniques with respect to detainees.

The Ombudsman Office fulfils the functions of the NPM in Azerbaijan. The OSCE Office in Baku has actively supported the Ombudsman Office in its new capacity. In 2009 and 2010, the Office held international workshops for the benefit of the Azerbaijani NPM and also co-operated with the Parliament in harmonizing national legislation to incorporate the new NPM responsibilities into the Constitutional Law on the Ombudsman. The Office also supported the translation into the English language of the Ombudsman’s NPM annual reports.