OSCE supports discussion on establishing torture prevention mechanism in Kazakhstan

The OSCE Centre in Astana jointly with the Committee on Legislation and Judicial Reform of the Mazhilis (the lower Chamber of Parliament) and the Penal Reform International Office in Central Asia organized a roundtable discussion on 14 March 2013 on a draft law to establish a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against torture in Kazakhstan.

The event is part of a long-term process to create a legal framework for a NPM following Kazakhstan’s ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in 2008.

The event brought together representatives of the NPM legislative working group, other state actors, civil society and international organizations, and focused on a draft law designating the Human Rights Commissioner’s Office (Ombudsman) as the key element of a National Preventive Mechanism. The discussion covered such issues as mandate, financial independence, the rights and responsibilities of the NPM’s members and co-operation between civil society and state bodies involved in the NPM.

In the context of the NPM draft legislation, the participants discussed the establishment of effective safeguards against torture and ill-treatment in line with Kazakhstan’s international obligations under the relevant OPCAT provisions.