Republic of Moldova

DEBATES ON CRIMINAL REMEDIES AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN AND DEGRADING TREATMENT AND/OR PUNISHMENT

Chişinău, 29 October 2009 – The Torture Prevention Project, funded by the European Commission and co-financed and implemented by United Nations Development Program in Moldova, organized on October 29, 2009 the round table "Criminal remedies against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and/or punishment".

There were discussed at the event the regional and international standards for effective criminal law remedies application in prevention and prosecution of torture cases and methods of investigation of torture cases within the internal investigations of Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Prosecutor's Office and court trials. Discussions were focused on proceeding and structure for examination of cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and/or punishment, registration and beginning criminal investigation in torture cases, classification of torture offences, measures for protection of torture victims, submission of cases to the Courts and also the examination of evidence by judges in torture cases.

Officials from General Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, courts, public institutions and international organizations, lawyers, civil society and independent experts on human rights from the Republic of Moldova and abroad attended the round table.

The aim of the round-table is to initiate a constructive dialogue between relevant actors in the field and decision-makers, discussion of torture problem and recommendations for developing a comprehensive National Action Plan for the Prevention of Torture in the Republic of Moldova. This round-table is the second in a series of meetings in the field of torture prevention and other extreme abuses of human rights in the Republic of Moldova organized within the framework of the Project "Support to Strengthening the National Preventive Mechanism as per Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) provisions". The Project is funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.

The aim of Torture Prevention Project is prevention of the prevalence/incidence of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by strengthening the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) in compliance with the UN Convention against Torture / Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) requirements and to promote the national human rights protection and promotion system. The project also helps to create and foster partnerships between NPM and specialized NGOs and public authorities, as well as among them, to ensure the effective response to the cases of torture. The total budget of the Project is 800,000 EURO of which 640,000 EURO was provided by the European Commission and 160,000 EURO by the UNDP.

For contact: Daniela Cotici, UNDP Moldova Project Manager, tel. 245079, e-mail: daniela.cotici@undp.org or Irina Lazur, Communication and Information Coordinator, tel. 232523, e-mail: irina.lazur@un.md