OSCE, Ombudsman, NGOs sign agreement for better human rights protection in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, 7 June 2011 – The Ombudsman’s Office, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the public foundation Kylym Shamy on behalf of civil society organizations today signed an agreement to co-operate in Bishkek.
The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, sets out a mechanism for co-operation between the Ombudsman and human rights organizations in the field of torture prevention, in particular through unannounced joint visits to places of detention throughout the country.
“The creation of national human rights mechanisms is essential to strengthening the prevention of torture and the OSCE warmly welcomes the willingness of the Ombudsman and of the civil society sector to improve the human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan through better co-operation.” said Lilian Darii, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. “We expect this co-operation to prepare the ground for the establishment of an independent National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.”
Ombudsman Tursunbek Akun said: “The Ombudsman office has always been very keen to co-operate with civil society organizations and international organizations. The signature of this Memorandum will allow us to maximize our efforts towards the eradication of torture in Kyrgyzstan. The data collected will be shared with the relevant authorities and concrete recommendations on how to improve the situation in places of detention will be proposed.”
Aziza Abdirasulova, the Chairman of Kylym Shamy, a public foundation active in monitoring and reporting on torture cases in Kyrgyzstan, said: “Torture and ill treatment of persons deprived of their liberty usually takes place in places of detention that are inaccessible to public scrutiny. Monitoring of places of detention by qualified and independent bodies is an effective way to prevent torture and ill treatment, and to fight impunity. We look forward to co-operating with the Institution of the Ombudsman and the OSCE in this key area”.
The Memorandum will remain in force until the end of 2011 with the possibility of being extended for the next year.