Preventing and Counteracting Torture and Other Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Online seminar

Seminars, including those held for inmates in Moldovan penitentiaries, play an important part among the project activities. Since May 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most seminars have been transferred online. Thus, online seminars were held on 26 June, 21 July, 28 July, 29 July, 4, 12, 21, and 22 August, 2020.

On 21 and 22 August inmates from the Penitentiary No 1 (Taraclia) took part in an online information seminar on the topic Preventing Torture and Other Inhuman or Degrading Punishment and Treatment.

This seminar was held by the Institute for Democracy (Comrat) in partnership with the National Institute of Women of Moldova (Chisinau) and the Media Center of Transnistria (Tiraspol) with the support of the European Union through the agency of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights within the project titled Let Us All Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society Against Torture.

The seminar was conducted by the Institute for Democracy NGO representatives via ZOOM online platform in order to raise convicts’ awareness of prohibition of torture in prisons.

The Project Coordinator informed the detainees about the addresses, services, and types of assistance offered by the three Centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture.

The coach informed the persons deprived of liberty about torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, national, international, and regional standards for prevention of ill-treatment, causes, consequences, and possible solutions in cases of torture, torture prevention in penitentiary institutions, and rehabilitation of victims of torture.

The participants were open to communication and learning. They mentioned that such online meetings with experts were appropriate, and could be held at least once a year. In the end of the event, the participants thanked the organizers and the donor for the opportunity. Obvious efficiency and relevance of the seminars held by the Institute for Democracy make it necessary to keep holding them in 2021 as well.