On 10 to 11 November 2021, the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic headed by the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic, Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Council on Human Rights of the Kyrgyz Republic K.Smanaliev participated in the 72nd session of the UN Committee against Torture (CAT)  and presented the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the implementation of international obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic also included the representatives of the following state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic: the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Kyrgyz Republic, the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva.

Presenting a report on the policy measures in Kyrgyzstan in the field of protection of human rights, the head of the Kyrgyz delegation, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic K.Smanaliev emphasized that the previously accepted international obligations of Kyrgyzstan, including the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against Torture, remains steadfast and fundamentally essential guidelines for the further democratic development of the country.

The Deputy Minister stressed that the issues of suppression and prevention of torture and the use of illegal methods of investigation are subject to the strictest control by the state. Taking into account the basic requirements of the Convention against Torture, as well as proposals from civil society and NGO the new editions of codes in the field of criminal justice have been developed and adopted; internal security divisions with the task to prevent, identify and suppress violations by employees, including the facts of torture were created in law enforcement and other government agencies.

In addition, the head of the delegation K. Smanaliev also informed about the measures aimed at improving the qualifications of judicial and law enforcement officials in the field of protection and promotion of human rights. He emphasized that Kyrgyzstan was one of the first countries in Central Asia to successfully implement the provisions of the Istanbul Protocol (Guidelines for the Effective Investigation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment).

During the dialogue, members of the Kyrgyz delegation responded to the questions posed by the Committee's experts and informed them on the key transformations in the context of the ongoing reforms to combat torture, as well as to prevent all forms of domestic violence.

In their comments, the members of the Committee against Torture generally positively noted the progress in improving the legislation of Kyrgyzstan, aimed at ensuring compliance with the basic legal guarantees of human rights and classifying the crime of torture as a serious crime; the adoption by Kyrgyzstan of law on protection against domestic violence and the criminalization of this form of violence; the adoption of a national action plan to combat trafficking in persons (2013-2016) and an increase in the minimum sentence for trafficking in persons, as well as measures taken by the government of Kyrgyzstan to eradicate the problem of statelessness.

The Committee expressed the hope that Kyrgyzstan will continue to take appropriate measures to resolve the problems in the country as soon as possible.

In conclusion, the Head of the Delegation thanked the members of the Committee emphasizing, that Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to the development of cooperation with the Committee against Torture and human rights treaty bodies in general, and considers them as an important element of the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights.