Independent experts, coroners, lawyers and representatives of the civil society discussed issues concerning the access to justice and medical rehabilitation of the victims of torture at a conference in Chisinau on November 13. The participants criticized the Moldovan authorities for allowing the use of torture during the April events, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The situation in Moldova is complicated. Unfortunately, the use of torture in Moldova became a topic for discussion at many international institutions, but I hope the efforts made will produce results and we will eliminate the use of torture and will help the persons who became victims of torture,” Ludmila Popovici, the head of the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims “Memoria”, said at the conference. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Moldova, said the authorities must take into account the recommendations of the European organizations and thoroughly investigate every case of torture. Radu Danii, project coordinator at Soros Foundation, presented a report prepared after the April events. It is based on the statements made by hundreds of persons. According to the expert, the abusive arrests and poor detention conditions were the most frequent violations of human rights in that period. “They hit me with a bottle with water in the head so as not to leave marks. They told me to undress and do exercises. There was no police officer who did not try to hit me.” This is the testimony of a detained person, Radu Danii said. As to the police officers, Radu Danii said they probably thought they will be never held accountable for their acts as they had a violent behavior even in the presence of the lawyers, prosecutors and judges. Foreign experts and Moldovan therapists spoke about the main forms of torture and their consequences. The national conference “Victims of Torture – Medical Documentation, Access to Justice and Rehabilitation” is the second of a number of roundtable meetings centering on the use of torture and other violations of human rights in Moldova organized as part of the Prevention of Torture Project, which is co-financed by the European Union, UNDP and “Memoria” Center. The total budget of the project is 800,000 euros.