Lawyers to be trained in fighting torture and illegal arrests

Amnesty International Moldova (AIM) has launched the project “Lawyers against Torture”. Its main aim is to improve the skills of lawyers for an efficient fight against torture, detentions and illegal arrests in Moldova, Evgheni Golosceapov, executive director of AIM, told a news conference. Moldovan lawyers will participate in seminars aiming at studying national and international mechanisms for countering violations of human rights in order to improve the level of juridical knowledge and practice of working with law enforcement bodies, Moldovan courts and the European Court of Human Rights. National and international experts in human rights are invited as trainers. The lawyers attending seminars will be selected on the basis of a contest. The project “Lawyers against Torture” is planned for a 3-year period. It was worked out following a pilot-seminar in October 2005. Eleven Moldovan lawyers have been trained during this seminar. According to AIM representatives, from that time on, the participants have been involved in two important legal processes, related to application of torture in cases of Serghei Gurgurov and Vitalie Colibaba, sent at least 10 cases to ECHR and set up the Lawyers Club for Defence of Human Rights. The project is financed by the International Mobilisation Trust of Amnesty International, Open Society Institute - Budapest, ABA/CEELI, and AIM.