DUSHANBE, April 21, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A five-day training course on torture prevention for 29 prosecutors co-organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, the Prosecutors Training Institute and the Human Rights Center is going on in Dushanbe.

According to the OSCE Office in Tajikistan the course, launched on April 18, is delivered by trainers from the Prosecutor-General''s Office and civil society experts.  The course covers domestic and international guarantees for the rights of persons deprived of liberty, prosecutorial oversight of investigation and places of detention, and effective investigation techniques in cases of torture.

“The involvement of the Prosecutors Training Institute in tackling this serious topic indicates a commitment on the part of the General Prosecutor''s Office to take real steps to prevent torture and pursue perpetrators of torture,” said Anna Crowley, Human Rights Officer at the OSCE Office.

Abdulhamid Nouraliyev, the Director of the Prosecutors Training Institute, said: “Prosecutorial oversight of investigation comes with an obligation to serve citizens and ensure that rights are consistently observed and protected.”

“As indicated by the UN Committee Against Torture and the Human Rights Committee in their concluding recommendations to the Government of Tajikistan, human rights education can be an effective tool for the prevention of torture, and these discussion provide an opportunity to develop and improve mechanisms for effective investigation into cases of torture,” said Nigina Bahriyeva, the Director of the NGO Nota Bene and one of the trainers.

This training course is part of ongoing co-operation between the OSCE, the Prosecutors Training Institute and non-governmental organizations with expertise in rule of law. Two further five-day training courses for prosecutors planned for May and June will focus on the right to a fair trial, and human rights and counter-terrorism respectively.