A comparative study recently published by Richard Carver and Lisa Handley and overall involving more than 20 researchers and covering a 30-year period (1984-2014) provides solid evidence that the risk of torture decreases when preventive measures are in place. The research commissioned by the Association for the Prevention of Torture took place in 14 countries, among them in Kyrgyzstan which was conducted by a team of researchers from the Ludwig Boltzmann institute of Human Rights (BIM) and the Tian Shan Policy Center at the American University of Central Asia. The research specifically emphasised the importance of effective detention safeguards in the prevention of torture.

Reflecting these results, the team Human Dignity and Public Security at the BIM is steadily increasing its research on procedural rights for suspected and accused in the criminal justice process. BIM is also a member of the civil society network JUSTICIA, which focuses on procedural and defence rights, as well as victims’ rights in the EU criminal justice context.

The results of the APT research will be presented by Moritz Birk, Senior Researcher at BIM and responsible for the Kyrgyzstan chapter at the high-level conference Istanbul Protocol implementation on 21-22 September 2016 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which deals with the effective implementation of the Istanbul Protocol.