RC’s Statement for the Conference dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture “Kyrgyzstan on the way to the elimination of torture: problems, achievements and prospects”

Excellencies,

Director of the National Center for the Prevention of Torture Mr. Ryspekov,

Dear participants from state authorities, civil society and the international community,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to address this conference dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on behalf of the UN system in the Kyrgyz Republic. 

On 12 December 1997, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June as the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, commemorating the moment in 1987 when the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into effect. Today, there are 173 State parties to the Convention. The Kyrgyz Republic is one of them: it acceded to it in 1997, and it ratified the Optional Protocol to this Convention in 2008.

This day offers a space for all stakeholders including UN Member States, civil society and individuals to unite in support of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been victims of torture, and those who are still tortured today. We honour the victims and survivors of torture, their families, and the state institutions and civil society groups who work to support them.

The day also offers an opportunity to reflect upon policies and practices aimed at investigating, prosecuting and punishing the crimes of torture, as well as efforts aimed at preventing torture and providing redress to the victims of torture, globally and at a national level. 

In Kyrgyzstan, the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture has been effectively implementing its crucial functions as the National Preventive Mechanism established in line with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture already since 2012. The Center has been instrumental in bringing the promise of the Kyrgyz Constitution, which stipulates in its Article 56.4 that “No one shall be subjected to torture or other inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment” closer to realities.

I am proud that the UN system has been a partner of the National Center ever since and we will continue assisting the National Centre in fulfilling its torture prevention mandate, naturally complementing the work of the Ombudsperson’s Institute and working closely with the relevant State institutions as well as with national and international human rights organizations engaged in torture prevention.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The effective implementation of the UN Convention against Torture is only possible when all relevant institutions and actors play their role.  In this regard, I wish to commend the Kyrgyz Republic’s for its regular engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms related to combating torture and other forms of ill-treatment. 

In November 2021, the UN Committee against Torture reviewed Kyrgyzstan’s third periodic report on the implementation of the Convention against Torture. This year, Kyrgyzstan submitted its Follow up Report to the 2021 Concluding Observations of the UN Committee against Torture. 

The 2021 Concluding Observations contain a vast set of recommendations that should be followed up until the next State’s report which is expected in 2025. One of them encourages the Kyrgyz Republic to make declarations under Articles 21 and 22 of the Convention against Torture recognizing the competence of the UN Committee against Torture to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction, as well as the inter-state complaints.

Given that the Kyrgyz Republic extended in December 2020 a standing invitation to the UN Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, it might be timely to consider inviting the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, to make a country visit in the near future. The last visit of a Special Rapporteur, Juan Mendez, took place in December 2011, almost 12 years ago. As many of you remember, the Action Plan developed on the basis of the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations gave a significant impetus at the time to bringing national laws and practices closer to international human rights standards on combating torture. 

In this context, I was happy to hear that the Coordination Council for Human Rights under the Cabinet of Ministers, chaired by the Deputy Chair Edil Baisalov, is considering endorsing the Action Plan on the Implementation of the 2021 Concluding Observations of the UN Committee against Torture that was developed through a constructive dialogue with civil society. I am hopeful that the effective implementation of the Action Plan will also be ensured in close dialogue and interaction with civil society organizations that play a pivotal role in torture prevention and its eradication in the country. 

It is my strong belief that the Kyrgyz Republic’s international human rights obligations related to combating torture and other forms of ill-treatment can be fulfilled only through continued joint efforts of state authorities, civil society and the media, and only if the country maintains an enabling space for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media to perform their pivotal roles, notably in terms of monitoring and upholding accountability – that are the crucial elements for the prevention and eradication of torture.   

It is essential that the recommendations and insights shared by national and international civil society representatives, human rights defenders, independent medical experts, and media representatives that cover stories of the victims of torture, are consistently taken into account by relevant duty-bearers.

Independent voices and perspectives are invaluable in helping the relevant state authorities in shaping policies, fostering dialogue, and driving meaningful change, in order to uphold the rule of law and freedom from violence, with the overall aim of achieving Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions as foreseen by the Sustainable Development Goal 16 under Agenda 2030.  

By working together, and only together with all the members of society, is it feasible to bring national laws, institutions, judicial and law enforcement practices in line with the international human rights obligations of the Kyrgyz Republic.  

Thank you for your attention.