Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan meet in Dushanbe with OSCE support

A two-day annual meeting of the Civil Society Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan, hosted by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, was held on 1 and 2 February 2019 in Dushanbe. 

Some 40 members and key partners of the Coalition from across the country discussed the 2019 activities, strategies and plans for 2019-2020.

The discussion focused on existing challenges and proposals for further activities within the strategy framework. Participants emphasized the importance of strengthening co-operation with the Prosecutor General’s Office to discuss torture and ill-treatment cases, as well as partnership with the state bodies in conducting independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty.

The Coalition is expanding its co-operation with various stakeholders, including government agencies, lawyers, psychologists and social workers. In 2018, Coalition members worked more closely with the Union of Lawyers of Tajikistan in conducting educational activities for lawyers on the rights of victims of torture and ill-treatment, including  compensation for victims and their family members.

Coalition members took an active part in providing alternative reports to the UN Committee against Torture and interacted with the Office of Human Rights Guarantees of the Executive Office of the Republic of Tajikistan in developing the National Plan for Implementation of Recommendations of the Committee against Torture, which was adopted on 24 January 2019.

The Coalition plays a leading role in promoting litigation to protect victims of torture and ill-treatment, and in providing rehabilitation services for victims of torture and their families. 

“We have been closely working with the OSCE since the establishment of the Coalition, constantly expanding our co-operation,” said the head of the Coalition, Nurmakhmad Khalilov, director of the NGO Center for Human Rights. “OSCE support has enabled us to build the capacity of lawyers in human rights protection and to increase access to justice for victims of torture and their families,” said Khalilov.