UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to make first visit to Kazakhstan

    By Anjan Kumar Samal
    The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) is due to make its first visit to Kazakhstan from September 20 to 29 to assess the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, as well as the safeguards for their protection against torture and ill-treatment. Among the places the SPT delegation is due to visit are prisons, colonies, police stations, guardhouses, correctional rehabilitation centres, psychiatric institutions and other detention facilities. The experts will meet government officials and representatives of civil society.
    They will also hold discussions with the Human Rights Commissioner of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which the Government designated as what is known as a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), an independent body charged with monitoring places of detention.
    "During the visit we will be exploring the steps to be taken by Kazakhstan to effectively prevent torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of their liberty. The first visit of the Subcommittee will mark an important milestone in the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN treaty bodies," said Victor Zaharia, who will head the SPT delegation in a statement.
    At the end of the visit, the SPT will present its confidential preliminary observations to the Government of Kazakhstan.
    For the SPT, the key to preventing torture and ill-treatment lies in building constructive relations with the State concerned, and its guiding principles are cooperation and confidentiality, according to Merinews.com