General Prosecutor’s Office: 31 law enforcement officers convicted for torture
ASTANA. KAZINFORM - In 2013, 35 criminal cases have been initiated on the use of torture, this has been announced today by Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Zhakyp Asanov during a meeting on the interaction of state bodies with members of the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture in Kazakhstan.
"The number of requests for the use of torture has increased almost one hundred times. People involved in criminal proceedings, stopped being afraid and started believing in justice. As a result, the number of law enforcement officers involved and convicted of torture increased. Three criminal cases were opened and 1 person was convicted of torture in 2008 while in 2013 on the use of torture were initiated 35 criminal cases and convicted 31 police officers", Zh.Asanov said. According to his words, it became possible due to adjustments in the criminal policy and related concrete steps of the state. The meeting was organized by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Human Rights Commissioner of Kazakhstan and International Penal Reform in Central Asia. The round table was attended by representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Constitutional Council, a number of government agencies, MPs, members of the Public Council under the General Prosecutor's Office, members of the Coordinating Council of the Human Rights Ombudsman and others.