A side event on "Moving forward
in the field of torture prevention: strengthening legal safeguards, oversight
and accountability in the criminal justice system" was held as part of the
OSCE Supplementary Meeting on the Human Dimension "Prevention of Torture
and Ill-treatment: Strengthening Cooperation and Law Enforcement."
The text of the speech by the
Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan
was read out at a side event by Bakhtiyor Ibragimov, Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the OSCE and other international organizations
in Vienna.
In the speech from Uzbekistan, it
was emphasized that the prohibition of torture is absolute and does not allow
any exceptions, regardless of the circumstances. It was noted that Uzbekistan,
which joined the UN Convention against Torture in 1995, considers its strict
observance as one of the most important priorities of state policy in the field
of human rights protection.
The participants positively assessed
the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan aimed at strengthening the national
system for the prevention of torture, improving legislation and law enforcement
practice, as well as ensuring effective protection of human dignity.
The side event was organized by the
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the International
Center for Development and Justice, and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
The event was attended by more than
50 representatives of the OSCE participating States' delegations, international
organizations, national human rights institutions and civil society. The
participants discussed the issues of effective interrogation, independent
monitoring of places of detention, protection of vulnerable groups and ensuring
access to justice.
The discussion was devoted to
improving legal guarantees at all stages of criminal proceedings, strengthening
independent control over places of detention, protecting vulnerable categories
of persons, as well as introducing modern international standards for
conducting interrogations based on respect for human rights.
Maria Telalyan, Director of the
OSCE/ODIHR, delivered a welcoming speech. She stressed that the prevention of
torture is one of the key areas of OSCE activity in the human dimension and
requires close cooperation between government agencies, independent monitoring
mechanisms, civil society and international partners.
Renate Winter, Honorary President of
the International Center for Development and Justice, noted the importance of a
gender-sensitive approach, as well as special protection for women, children
and other vulnerable people in prison. She also focused on the issue of judicial
independence, emphasizing that in some countries the judiciary does have
independence, while in others judges remain dependent on external influence.
During the event, international
approaches were presented to strengthen national preventive mechanisms, ensure
independent monitoring of places of detention, develop gender-sensitive
protection mechanisms, as well as the practical application of the Mendes
Principles, the Istanbul Protocol and the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Press Service The National Center
Republic of Uzbekistan on human rights.
