The Coalition Against Torture, together with M-Vector research company, conducted a survey to find out how much Kyrgyzstanis are aware of the use of torture and ill-treatment.
According to the National Center for Prevention of Torture, in 2020 alone they received 100 complaints, including 41 complaints of violence, 40 allegations of ill-treatment and 19 allegations of inhuman, degrading conditions of detention in prison colonies, a pre-trial detention center and in other places of deprivation of liberty.
According to the Coalition against Torture, 49 people turned to the members of the Coalition for legal assistance last year, without taking into account the facts revealed during preventive visits to places of restriction and imprisonment. Thus, according to experts, the data obtained on the basis of statements by the victims themselves or their relatives on the fact of violence indicate a much greater scale of the use of torture in the country.
According to a survey by the Coalition against Torture, most people heard about torture in Chui (62 percent) and Naryn (61 percent) regions. The least number of people familiar with torture is in Batken region (32 percent). Torture has also been heard about in Issyk-Kul (59 percent), Talas and Jalal-Abad (55 percent) regions.
About 37 percent of the respondents believe that torture is most common in the police, and 28 percent — in places of detention.
At least 51 percent of the survey participants claim that torture is widespread in Kyrgyzstan.
Almost every fifth respondent (18 percent) witnessed at least once torture or ill-treatment of others, and about 10 percent of respondents reported that there had been cases of torture in relation to their relatives to influence the respondents themselves.
