Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are conducting short-term training courses on combating torture for employees of bodies conducting pre-investigation checks, investigative bodies, preliminary investigation and penitentiary systems. This was reported by the press service of the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights.

As you know, on 7 February 2023, the President of the country adopted a resolution “On approval of the National Program for Human Rights Education in the Republic of Uzbekistan”.

As part of the implementation of this resolution and the Roadmap approved by it, the National Center for Human Rights, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs approved a plan for conducting training courses in 2023 on the topic “Combating Torture: International Practice and National Experience”.

Since February, courses have been launched in a hybrid format. According to the plan, training took place in the following regions: Ferghana (February 22-23), Bukhara (March 29-30), Tashkent (April 18-19), Surkhandarya (May 17-18), Andijan (February 20-21), Namangan ( June 22-23).

Thus, in the first half of the year, specialists from half of the regions of the country were involved in the training courses. In each region, 50 employees of the internal affairs bodies and 10 employees of the prosecutor’s office took part as listeners. As a result, a total of 350 employees of the bodies of inquiry, investigation, preliminary investigation and penitentiary institutions have improved their knowledge of international practice and domestic experience in combating torture.

Each such training course begins with a video message from the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Director of the National Center for Human Rights Academician Akmal Saidov and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Yahyodzhon Abdulkhakov. The speeches are devoted to the meaning and essence of the National Educational Program in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the training, students go through and discuss reports and presentations on a number of topics. Among them: "International standards and basic principles in the field of human rights", "Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture", "National preventive mechanisms for the prevention of torture: international experience and national practice", "Development of legislation on the prevention of acts related to torture" ,

“Convention against Torture and Cruel, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”, “International Detention Standards, Detention, Guarantees of the Rights of Prisoners” and others.

The lecturers and speakers of the courses are specialists from specialized organizations, including the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Center for Human Rights, the Institute of State and Law, the Institute for Advanced Studies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

During the training courses, videos on the history of human rights prepared by the Institute of State and Law and the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are shown and discussed. They provide an explanation of the various provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.