Kazakhstani experience in torture prevention presented in Astana
Kazakhstan National Ombudsman Office arranged the event with support from the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Development Programme, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, the Kazakhstan Office of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and the Central Asia regional office of Penal Reform International (PRI) in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
It was attended by Kazakh Parliament deputies, representatives of central governmental authorities of Kazakhstan such as President's Executive Office, Constitutional Council, Supreme Court, Prosecutor-General's Office, as well as national human rights institutions, NPM leaders of Europe and Central Asia and representatives of civil society, NGOs and international agencies.
The attendees of the meeting discussed the Kazakhstani experience in torture prevention with regard to the monitored places of freedom deprivation and restriction and the ways of further improvement of NPM activity including the issues of its legislative regulation.
The key aspect of the forum was presentation of Kazakhstani NPM's 2016 Consolidated Report on the results of the preventive visits.
The document reflects the work of the NPM done last year and the analysis of the situation on observance of human rights in the closed institutions of Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Committee of National Security, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Healthcare and the Ministry of Education and Science.
Kazakhstan Human Rights Commissioner Askar Shakirov reported that in 2016 the participants of the National Preventive Mechanism made 680 preventive visits in all institutions of concern in Kazakhstan.
According to the statistics, the number of preventive visits has increased by 153 as compared to the last year.
Within the presentation the attendees discussed the NPM recommendations to governmental authorities regarding improvement of work in preventing torture, cruel treatment and punishment as well as practical aspects of their implementation.
The draft law on broadening of NMP powers by inclusion of a number of children's institutions in the mandate has become an important step towards enhancing NPM efficiency.
Currently, the draft law is under consideration of Kazakh Majilis.
The experience of NPM functioning in European and Central Asian countries presented as a consultation between the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and NPMs of foreign countries aroused a special interest of the participants.
Summarising the forum, the attendees gave an upbeat assessment of Kazakhstani NPM's results mentioning its high quality and sustainability. In this respect, they emphasised the importance of strengthening NPM Coordinating Council's role and the necessity of further improvement of cooperation between NPM and governmental authorities of central and local level as well as the administrations of the institutions of concern.