Kyrgyzstan: Convention against torture may become inoperative
In an attempt to save budget money, the Ministry of Finance of the republic came up with an initiative to unite the National Center for the Prevention of Torture and the Office of the Ombudsman. Human rights defenders raised the alarm. They declare the irreparable consequences of such a decision.
The integration of two independent national human rights institutions will lead to the abolition of the Laws “On the accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Convention against Torture”, “On the accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, which entered into force on June 22, 2006, and “On the National Center of the Kyrgyz Republic for the Prevention of Torture”.
“The abolition of the above laws will indicate the refusal of Kyrgyzstan to comply with international standards of human rights and freedoms, enshrined in the relevant international treaties. This will have an extremely negative impact on the foreign policy of the state as a whole,” they emphasize.
In addition, refusal to comply with the requirements of international treaties will entail the formation of a stable negative image of the republic and, as a consequence, a reduction in foreign aid. As a result, human rights activists believe that the Kyrgyz Republic will lose more than save.
“The annual budget of the National Center is less than 12 million KGS. With this money, the organization maintains a staff, including all regional representatives (26 people). A merger with the Office of the Ombudsman will lead to higher costs, because the salaries are higher in the Office. That is, the expected effect will not be achieved, while the innovation will affect the independence and prevention of torture,” the National Center added.
