The UN Committee against Torture in its final observations reflected the findings and recommendations of Promo-LEX Association and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT). On August 10, 2018, the UN Committee Against Torture (UN CAT) published the final finding and recommendations on the sixth report of the Russian Federation that was examined in the recent session (July 23, 2018 – August 10, 2018), IPN reports, quoting a press release of Promo-LEX.

The Association, in partnership with the World Organization Against Torture, presented the Report on the ensuring of the protection of the right not to be subject to torture or other forms of ill-treatment in the Transnistrian region to the Committee’s experts. The report draws attention to the fact that the extraterritorial obligation of the states to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment is applied even when the states indirectly or directly exercise effective control over persons or territories.

The report provides facts that confirm the existence of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and of the total immunity of these illegal acts, and the lack of efficient mechanisms for defending and monitoring the human rights in the region. It points to Russia’s extraterritorial obligation to prevent and fight torture and other forms of ill-treatment in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova because it exercises effective control over this territories and the local administration.

The findings and recommendations of Promo-LEX and OMCT were taken into consideration by the Committee, which confirmed Russia’s obligation to prevent and fight torture and other forms of ill-treatment in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, over which it exercises effective control, in accordance with Articles 2 and 16 of the Convention (CAT).

In its final observations, the Committee calls on the Russian Federation to encourage the adoption of efficient measures to prevent and fight torture and other forms off ill-treatment through the 5 + 2 format talks, given the legal vacuum in the Transnistrian region. The full text of the final observations of the UN Committee against Torture is available here. More information can be found in the Report of Promo-LEX Association and in the UN Committee against Torture’s session on Russia of July 26, 2018.