DUSHANBE, April 4, 2016, Asia-Plus -- On March 31 and April1, ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Tajikistan at the UPR Working Group’s 25th session in May 2016, members of the NGO Coalition against Torture presented recommendations aimed at strengthening torture prevention in Tajikistan to experts at the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights and to permanent diplomatic missions in Geneva.

On May 6, all UN member states will have an opportunity to ask questions and make recommendations to the authorities of Tajikistan in order to strengthen human rights protection in the country, according to the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan.

On March 31, the NGO delegates from Tajikistan reportedly met with the Human Rights Treaties Division of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to discuss the NGO recommendations and future cooperation.

On April 1, the Coalition against Torture and other NGOs from Tajikistan delivered statements at the 13th round of UPR Pre-sessions, a public event organized by the Geneva-based NGO UPR Info at the International Conference Centre of Geneva, to which all Permanent Missions have been invited.

The NGO visit to Geneva took place in the framework of the EU-funded project, “Action for Freedom from Torture in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan“, which is co-funded by Open Society Foundations.  The project is carried out by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR, Poland), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) and Nota Bene (Tajikistan).  The visit to Geneva was organized by IPHR along with the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).  For further input into the UPR process the project partners prepared a document, entitled Tajikistan: Human Rights Situation on the Ground.  Torture and Other Ill-Treatment.  Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 25th Session of the UPR Working Group, April-May 2016 .