BackThe Office of the People`s Advocate (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Moldova conducted a week on fight against torture from 25 – 29 June 2018, on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
The week had three round tables (on June 25, 26 and 28) during which the members of the Council for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the National Mechanism for Prevention of Torture discussed with the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Administration of Penitentiaries, Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection about the situation on torture prevention, provision of medical care services, detention conditions in the places of freedom deprivation, implicitly of the temporary detention isolators of the General Police Inspectorate (GPI). Members of CPT informed participants about the findings and recommendations made during the visits made last year to places of detention. They further presented information on the activity of the Council for the Prevention of Torture in 2017 year.
During these events an exchange of opinions on further collaboration of the Council for the Prevention of Torture with the representatives of civil society, academic environment and development partners took place.
Those three round tables were organized within the project „Council for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) – a key collegial institution for the prevention of torture and other bad treatments in Moldova”. The project is implemented by the Institute for Penal Reforms (IPR) in partnership with the Office of People’s Advocate (OPA) and Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with the support of the Special Fund of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention for torture prevention (Special Fund OP CAT).
The week also included a meeting on June 29 of Ombudsmen Mihail Cotorobai and Maia Banarescu with the representatives of civil society who are active in the field of fight against torture and torture prevention. During the meeting two collaboration agreements were signed – one with the Institute for Democracy of Administrative Territorial Unit Gagauzia and one with the Association „Media Centru” of Tiraspol, Transnistria region for extending the partnership with the associative sector in the field of torture prevention, protection and defense of fundamental human rights and freedoms in the Republic of Moldova.
On June 26, when the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is celebrated, the Office of the People’s Advocate has organized an event for commemorating the victims of torture as well as solidarity actions against torture, a so-called „Human chain against torture”. Within this event, more than 100 participants–ombudsmen, employee of institution, members of CPT, representatives of some NGO, of National Administration of Penitentiaries created a human chain of solidarity against torture and for supporting torture victims. They had placards and billboards with messages against torture; they lighted candles and left lampions in the memory of torture victims.
On June 28, 2018 in the context of the actions for prevention of torture and bad treatments, the Office of People’s Advocate transmitted to the National Administration of Penitentiaries 18 billboards with informational materials in the field of torture prevention. The Office of People’s Advocate has elaborated and continues to apply in the detention institutions stickers with the message “Space supervised by People’s Advocate”.
The Week has also included the participation of People’s Advocate staff to the events organized in that period by the partners of the institution, to radio programs.
Combating Torture Week, edition 2018 is the fifth in the last years which is organized by the People’s Advocate Office. In 2018 there are 10 years of the creation of the National Mechanism for Prevention of Torture in the Republic of Moldova.
Source: Office of the People`s Advocate (Ombudsman), Republic of Moldova
