Dushanbe, 20-25 July 2026 – Two capacity-building trainings were held in the Republic of Tajikistan for representatives of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman and civil society organizations, focusing on monitoring compliance with the right to health and access to medical care in places of detention, penitentiary institutions, psychiatric and neuropsychiatric facilities.
The events were organized by the Public Organization “World of Law” in partnership with the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Tajikistan within the framework of the following projects:
“Enhancing Civil Society and the State’s Capacities on Accountability and Torture Prevention through Human Rights Initiatives in Tajikistan”, supported by the European Union;
“Promoting Human Rights Compliance in Tajikistan through Strengthening the Capacity of the Ombudsman, Civil Society and Improving Legal Assistance for Vulnerable Groups in Detention”, supported by CFLI.
The trainings were conducted based on the Guideline on Monitoring Compliance with the Right to Health and Medical Care in Places of Detention, Penitentiary Institutions, Psychiatric and Neuropsychiatric Facilities of the Republic of Tajikistan. The Guideline and the training programme were developed and delivered by international and national experts.
During the opening remarks, the Director of the Public Organization “World of Law”, Gulchehra Kholmatova, noted:
“Monitoring Group of the Human Rights Ombudsman regularly strengthens its capacity through training. At the same time, an analysis of existing practices demonstrated the need to develop a specialized monitoring tool for assessing compliance with the right to health, including in psychiatric and neuropsychiatric facilities. The new monitoring tool and training on its application will contribute to improving the quality of monitoring, ensuring a more comprehensive assessment of human rights compliance, and strengthening the protection of the most vulnerable groups of the population.”
During the events, participants familiarized themselves with international standards related to the right to health and the prevention of ill-treatment, as well as practical approaches to conducting monitoring visits, documenting identified challenges, and developing recommendations to improve detention conditions and access to medical care.
Key Training Topics:
- international and national standards on the right to health in places of deprivation of liberty;
- methodology for monitoring detention conditions and medical services;
- identification of risks of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and other forms of ill-treatment;
- development of recommendations and engagement with state authorities.
The trainings were attended by representatives of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Tajikistan, members of the Monitoring Group, and representatives of civil society organizations.
The implementation of these activities contributes to strengthening national mechanisms for monitoring places of deprivation of liberty and promotes more effective protection of the rights of persons held in closed institutions, in accordance with international human rights standards.
