OSCE trains staff of Kyrgyzstan’s National Centre for Torture Prevention

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek supported a training course in the capital from 5 to 8 April 2014 on human rights monitoring for staff of Kyrgyzstan’s National Centre for Torture Prevention (NTPC), NGO representatives, the National Ombudsman Office and the Co-ordination Council on Human Rights.

The National Centre, established in 2013, is the first institution of its kind in the Central Asian region. Its structure and tasks are similar to the other centres, which successfully function in many European states.

During the training course, 18 newly-recruited staff members of NTPC and members of partner organizations (in all, 40 people) received an introduction to international and national human rights mechanisms. Two international and one national expert trained them on the best practical methods and instruments for monitoring the human rights situation in places of detention.

“Professional training of the first staff members is very important as this Centre is quite unique –,” said Miroslaw Nowak, Penitentiary Reform Advisor, at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. “Objective monitoring of human rights in detention facilities, based on systematic approach and best international practices, is aimed at achieving sustainable  progress in protecting human rights.” 

The training course was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, the Youth Human Rights Group NGO, the Regional Office of the Penal Reform International with the financial support of EU Delegation to Kyrgyzstan, the OHCHR Regional Office for Centre Asia and Freedom House Kyrgyzstan.