On 17 and 18 November 2014, the Committee against Torture (CAT) is due to review Kazakhstan’s compliance with obligations the country committed itself to uphold when acceding to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) in August 1998.
It is the third time since acceding to the Convention that the CAT will review the situation regarding torture in Kazakhstan and the measures the country has taken to combat it. Following the review, the Committee will issue a list of concluding observations to assist Kazakhstan bring its practice in line with international obligations under the Convention against Torture.
Prior to the upcoming review, the NGO Coalition against Torture in Kazakhstan that has monitored and documented numerous torture cases in the country and studied and analysed the legislation and its implementation, has provided CAT members with an in-depth report entitled “Kazakhstan: Responses to the List of Issues on Implementation of CAT.” The report provides information on developments with regard to torture prevention in Kazakhstan in recent years and highlights both progress and shortcomings in the implementation of Kazakhstan’s human rights obligations. A summary version is available here.
Members of the Coalition against Torture in Kazakhstan will attend the CAT review of Kazakhstan during the Committee’s 53rd Session in November 2014 in Geneva and engage in further briefing activities of Committee members.
International Partnership for Human Rights has provided assistance to Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (a member of the NGO Coalition against Torture in Kazakhstan) regarding advocacy in the context of the CAT review, as part of a joint anti-torture project.