On December 3-7, experts of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Agnieszka Kłosowska and Aleksandra Iwanowska will conduct training for members of the Monitoring Group for Places of Deprivation and Limitation of Liberty affiliated with the Ombudsman for Human Rights in Tajikistan.
According to the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan, the training will be held in the framework of the European Union project entitled “Actions for Freedom from Torture in Tajikistan”
The training aims to increase the knowledge of members of the Monitoring Group with regard to methodology of conducting visits to places of detention and limitation of liberty, preparation of reports with
conclusions on the results of a visit, as well as developing a strategy for actions carried out afterword.
During the training, the experts will present to the participants principles of the monitoring conducted by nongovernmental organizations, as well as methodology used by the National Preventive Mechanisms operating under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Special attention will be paid to the specifics of monitoring of psychiatric institutions, social institutions and juvenile facilities. Experts will discuss with the participants the basic rights of individuals in such places (for example, freedom from torture and other forms of ill-treatment, the right to appeal, the right to an adequate standard of living) and examples of their violations. During the training, members of the monitoring group will also have the opportunity to improve their skills in conducting interviews with people in places of deprivation and limitation of liberty.
The Monitoring Group was established by the Order of the Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Republic of Tajikistan in December 2013 and operates on the basis of the relevant regulation. The Monitoring Group includes representatives of the Ombudsman for Human Rights and civil society – members of the Coalition, the ‘Avesta’ NGO and Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities. The Monitoring Group began its visits to places of deprivation and limitation of liberty in February 2014.
Between February 2014 and November 2018, the group reportedly visited 59 closed and semi-closed institutions, including temporary detention facilities, remand prisons, correctional and social institutions, institutions for juvenile offenders, psychiatric institutions and substance abuse centers.
