Category: Torture

Torture still widespread in Tajikistan 20 years after the country acceded to anti-torture treaty / February 10, 2015 / Reports and Publications / OMCT

The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) came into force in Tajikistan on 10 February 1995. By acceding to the treaty, the authorities of Tajikistan pledged to protect everybody under their jurisdiction from torture and other forms of ill-treatment, to reflect in law and practice the principles enshrined in the Convention, to cooperate with the Committee against Torture and to implement its recommendations.

But twenty years later, torture and impunity for it remain widespread in the country. From 2011 to 2014, members of the NGO Coalition against Torture in Tajikistan documented more than 100 cases of men, women and children who were allegedly subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. Perpetrators were brought to justice only in exceptional cases. The human rights groups jointly issuing this statement believe that many victims of torture did not file complaints for fear of reprisals.

Heightened international attention to torture in Tajikistan in recent years and thorough study of the situation by international human rights bodies and mechanisms including the Committee against Torture and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Special Rapporteur on torture) resulted in the issuing of a set of recommendations to the authorities.

On the twentieth anniversary of the treaty entering into force in Tajikistan, the human rights groups jointly issuing this public statement published a briefing, entitled “Tajikistan needs to do more to end torture,” which provides an up-to-date overview of the current situation of torture or other forms of ill-treatment, including in the army.

Noteworthy positive steps taken by Tajikistan in recent years include introducing an article on torture in the Criminal Code (Article 143) with a definition of torture that is in line with that contained in the Convention against Torture. As a result, by 2014, four criminal cases under this article were opened; and the courts ordered compensation to the families of two men who had died as a result of torture.

Torture still widespread in Tajikistan 20 years after the country acceded to anti-torture treaty / February 10, 2015 / Reports and Publications / OMCT.

Central Asian Migrants in Russia Are Humiliating Their ‘Dishonorable’ Countrywomen on Video · Global Voices


A number of videos of Central Asian women accused of prostitution and generally “shaming their nation and religion” have been uploaded onto file-sharing platforms by anonymous users in recent times. The videos, deleted by social media moderators, reappear again after being uploaded by different users.

While the world speaks out about the enslavement of women by ISIS, netizens in Central Asia are vigorously discussing videos portraying the relentless persecution and physical punishment of Central Asian women suspected of prostitution.

Videos of Kyrgyz and Tajik female migrants facing public humiliation in Russia are nothing new, but a copycat tendency means the phenomenon has now affected the migrant communities of other states in the region. In November a video appeared on YouTube showing two young women in Uzbekistan sitting with their hands tied behind their backs. The man in the video beats them with a stick while calling them sluts.

….

A. added: “You tell them that they are bringing shame to the name of Tajiks? She regrets what she did. But you bring shame on Tajiks by making this video and showing it to everyone.”  

Central Asian Migrants in Russia Are Humiliating Their ‘Dishonorable’ Countrywomen on Video · Global Voices.

 

Tajikistan: Dubious Efforts against Torture , 9 October 2012 Tuesday 10:26

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

by Hairullo Mirsaidov

Yet another scandal linked to the death of a man following torture has hit Tajikistan. A resident of Gissar District Hamza Ikromzoda died in investigative detention facility (IDF) No 1 in Dushanbe. Having received the body of the deceased, his family reported finding many signs of beatings and strong burns in the shape of an iron. His brother said that this was preceded a conflict between prisoners and the police, which arose from the latter’s refusal to share money with the former.

The Deputy Head of the Department of Penal Labour of the Ministry of Justice (DPL) Bahrom Abdulhakov refuted the family’s allegations and said that Mr Ikromzoda committed suicide in the punitive consignment. “When he was taken out of the noose, he still had a pulse, and there were attempts to save him.”

He said that when Mr Ikromzoda’s temperature fell sharply, flasks with hot water were put on his body and doctors tried to revive him with electricity, which is the reason Mr Abdulhakov gave for the burns on Mr Ikromzoda’s body.

The dead man’s relatives addressed their complaints to various authorities, including the country’s president. Several days ago, a group of women demanded to be let into the DPL. After a long conversation, the head of the division promised them that the head of IDF No1 will be fired. The prosecutors are now looking into Mr Ikromzoda’s death.

On the same day that Mr Ikromzoda died, another man was said to have thrown himself out of the window of the Drug Control Agency in Dushanbe (DCA). He was taken there on suspicion of storing drugs and is said to have jumped out of the tactical-mobile division of the DCA on the sixth floor. The prosecutor has launched a criminal case, but no details have been announced.

This is already the third case in the last year when those accused of crimes die during the preliminary investigation by jumping out of the windows. In October last year, 28 year old Bahromiddin Shodiev died in hospital. The police said he tried to escape and jumped out of the second floor window. His relatives insisted that he was violently tortured during the investigation, and said that he told them this before his death.

According to the Tajikistan police internal investigation, three people employed by the department where the incident took place were dismissed. The Minister of the Interior ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Shodiev’s death and, if it involves police employees, has ordered for criminal cases to be launched against them. Then it all came to a standstill.

 

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via Tajikistan: Dubious Efforts against Torture , 9 October 2012 Tuesday 10:26.

Tajikistan Blocks British, Russian News Websites | World | RIA Novosti

Tajikistan’s government has blocked the websites of the British Broadcasting Corporation and Russian TV channel Vesti, local internet providers told RIA Novosti on Monday.

“The decision has been taken by the Governmental Communications Service,” an internet provider company spokesman said.

Tajikistan’s internet users say access to Vesti and BBC has been blocked since July 29. Earlier authorities severed access to YouTube.

Experts link the move to a controversial armed conflict in the east of the republic that took place on July 24. At least nine Tajik security officers were killed and another 25 others injured in a special operation in Tajikistan’s eastern city of Khorog against a mafia-style group believed to be behind the murder of a top Tajik security general, Abdullo Nazarov.

Dushanbe denies any casualties among civilians, but the opposition media reported some 200 dead, including security officers and civilians.

Tajik opposition activists claim that the conflict was actually an attempt by President Emomali Rakhmon to suppress opposition in the region. They have accused Tajik authorities of using Nazarov’s murder, and the recent attacks on government officials, as a pretext for an ethnic cleansing campaign, and an attempt to reestablish control over the region which has long been known as a fiefdom of local warlords.

On July 23, a day before the controversial conflict, a demonstration that apparently sparked the anger of the country’s authorities was held in Khorog. A video captured during the mass event and later posted on YouTube shows that one of those addressing the demonstration was Sabzali Mamadrizoyev, the head of the regional branch of Tajikistan’s Islamic Revival Party (IRP).

Mamadrizoyev criticized the poor social and economic situation in the country and the inactivity of authorities. The activist was found dead three days later. On Monday, Tajikistan’s Islamic Revival Party officially confirmed the assassination of Mamadrizoyev, Asia Plus news portal said.

“After the July 23 meeting, Sabzali Mamadrizoyev was detained by law enforcement authorities and taken to the Khorog border unit,” Asia Plus quoted as saying an IRP member from Khorog, without giving his name. “He was severely beaten there and then shot with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Mamadrizoyev’s body was found three days later and he was buried on July 26.”

The Gorno-Badakhshan region where the conflict occured remains volatile 15 years after a civil war between the Moscow-backed government and an Islamist-led opposition. Close to 50,000 people were killed during the conflict. The five-year war ended in 1997 with a United Nations-brokered peace agreement.

Tajikistan on Saturday closed all crossing points on the border with Afghanistan.

Tajik activists have sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to help resolve the conflict.

via Tajikistan Blocks British, Russian News Websites | World | RIA Novosti.

Torture rampant in Tajikistan – UPI.com

Published: July 10, 2012 at 1:40 PM

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, July 10 (UPI) — Amnesty International announced a report Tuesday chronicling routine torture and abuse in detention centers throughout Tajikistan.

The full report, entitled “Shattered Lives: Torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officials in Tajikistan” takes an in-depth look at the treatment of those held in police custody.

“The torture methods used by the security forces are shocking: electric shocks, boiling water, suffocation, beatings, burning with cigarettes, rape and threats of rape,” said Rachel Bugler of Amnesty International. “The only escape is to sign a confession or sometimes pay a bribe.”

An Amnesty International press release details the results of such treatment: burst ear drums, broken teeth and dislocated jaws as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, nightmares and chronic insomnia.

“Far too frequently, this treatment leads to the deaths of people in police custody,” Bulger said. “These cases are not being properly investigated and the alleged perpetrators are not effectively brought to justice.”

The poorer population is especially vulnerable, being the least likely to lodge complaints, the report says. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are evaluated based on how many crimes they solve. As one Tajik journalist told Amnesty International: “Torture is a means of income. Police detain, torture and charge people, and then suggest that they can be bought off.”

via Torture rampant in Tajikistan – UPI.com.

Tajikistan: Torture unchecked in the absence of rule of law | Amnesty International

The police told me “If we kill you we’ll chuck your body in the canal and no one will ever find you and we won’t get punished”

Torture survivor 2012

Torture, beatings and other ill-treatment are routine in places of detention in Tajikistan and thrive in a climate of widespread corruption and impunity, Amnesty International said in a new report in which it urged the authorities to roundly condemn and stamp out the practice.

Shattered Lives: Torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officials in Tajikistan describes the risks people face in the early stages of detention, the inadequate investigations into allegations of torture, and the failure of the Tajikistani authorities to hold those responsible to account.

“The torture methods used by the security forces are shocking: involving electric shocks, boiling water, suffocation, beatings, burning with cigarettes, rape and threats of rape – the only escape is to sign a confession or sometimes to pay a bribe ,” said Rachel Bugler, Amnesty International’s expert on Tajikistan.

“Such treatment leaves victims suffering not only from the physical injuries such as burst ear drums, broken teeth, dislocated jaws; but also from the symptoms of post-traumatic stress such as depression, chronic insomnia, and nightmares. Their ill-treatment has lasting repercussions on their lives and the lives of their families.

via Tajikistan: Torture unchecked in the absence of rule of law | Amnesty International.