DUSHANBE, January 11, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Abduqodir Muhammadiyev, First Deputy Prosecutor-General, told a news conference in Dushanbe on January 10 that the Tajik authorities are taking measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

The law prohibits such practices; however, there were complaints that some law enforcement officers employed them.

“26 torture complaints were registered last year and only five of them were confirmed,” said Muhammadiyev.  “This is much fewer as compared to 2010.  48 torture complaints were registered in 2010, but only 13 of them were confirmed.”

According to him, the UN Human Rights Council considered torture applications by six Tajik convicts, including Sadriddin Toshev and Badriddin Sangov (both of the are supporters of the renegade Colonel Mahmoud Khudoiberdyev – Asia-Plus), and found their arguments baseless.

In the meantime, human rights activists note that torture and beating still remain serious problem and law enforcement officers are continuing to use systematic beating to extort confessions.