DUSHANBE, February 13, 2014, Asia-Plus -- The UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, has called on the Tajik authorities to fully implement policies for the eradication and prevention of torture and ill-treatment.

Mendez said on February 12 in Dushanbe that Tajikistan still needed to “bridge the gap between policies and reality” when it comes to eliminating torture in the country, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports.

Mendez welcomed a recent “national action plan” that Tajik authorities approved aimed at ending torture and ill-treatment but said he regretted “civil society has not been consulted in the creation or execution of this plan.”

Mendez said the Tajik government must “continue working to ensure that improved laws and policies result in concrete changes in practice.”

At least two people have died under suspicious circumstances this year while in custody in Tajikistan.