OSCE Office in Tajikistan supports regional training courses on rights of persons in police custody

The first in a series of OSCE-supported training courses for representatives of the Interior Ministry, Prosecutor and Ombudsman offices and civil society on the human rights of persons in police custody began on 4 May 2016 in Garm city, central Tajikistan.

Some 20 participants were instructed on international standards and best practices in this field, as well as Tajikistan’s international commitments and relevant aspects of the country’s domestic legal framework. The course also reflected on the police powers of arrest, search and interrogation, as well as police obligations in the registration of arrested and detained persons, ensuring access to legal and medical assistance and notification of relatives or other third party.

Mulloloiq Shobadalov, head of special management facilities at the Tajik Interior Ministry, who was also one of the training experts, noted that the courses were well-timed and in line with broader police reform efforts in Tajikistan. He encouraged the OSCE Office to continue this initiative and support further training activities for a broader law enforcement audience.

Wolfgang Nikolaus, Counter Terrorism and Police Issues Adviser at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, believes that the training courses will foster further co-operation between law enforcement, the Ombudsman’s office, legal practitioners and civil society.  “Such co-operation is  an essential element in our current efforts to support the reform of law enforcement agencies, as it makes communities more secure in the long term and guarantees the sustainability of our engagement.” 

Additional courses in this series, which is part of the OSCE Office’s police reform project, will take place in Khujand, Kulyab and Kurgan-Tyube cities later this month.