Presentation of the results of the first public opinion survey on torture and violence
Press Release "10 Years: Joining Efforts Against Torture"
On May 28, a round table was held dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Coalition against Torture. The agenda included a discussion of the torture issue in general and finding solutions to prevent this problem.
Welcoming remarks and congratulations to the Coalition were made by:
- Ulugbek Azimov, Chairman of the Coalition against Torture in Kyrgyzstan,
- Nikitenko Natalya Vladimirovna, Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic,
- Rysbekov Bakyt Toktalievich, Director of the National Centre of the Kyrgyz Republic on the Prevention of Torture,
- Ryszard Komenda, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for Central Asia,
- Nicholas Mazik, Human Dimension Department of the OSCE Program Office in Bishkek and many others.
One of the main topics of the round table was the results of the first public opinion survey on torture and violence, implemented by M-Vector at the initiative of the Coalition against Torture in Kyrgyzstan.
The purpose of the study:
- To identify the prevalence of torture and violence in the Kyrgyz Republic,
- To determine the attitude of society and public awareness of the problem of violence in various law enforcement agencies, the sources of information and general orientations on the acceptability of torture in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Within the framework of the project, there were interviewed 1210 people over 18 years old from all regions of Kyrgyzstan, including Bishkek and Osh cities. In each region, the number of respondents was proportional to the total population in those regions.
According to the results of the survey, it turned out that 62% of respondents are of the opinion that torture is permissible in relation to persons who have committed especially dangerous crimes. Only 15% of the respondents believe that torture is unacceptable under any circumstances.
53% of the interviewed people heard about cases of torture. The most popular source of information about torture is Internet publications (42%), including pages of publications in social networks.
According to the respondents, torture is most widely occurring in the police (37%) and detention facilities (28%). 51% of the survey participants claim that torture is wide-spread in Kyrgyzstan.
This is the first public opinion survey in the history of Kyrgyzstan on attitudes of the society towards torture. This is the first time such a study is being carried out by the Coalition Against Torture in collaboration with the professional research company M-Vector.
For more details on the research results, please follow the link (Research report in russian)
