UN torture envoy heads to Tajikistan

There are \"significant gaps\" in Tajikistan\'s legislation regarding a prohibition of torture, a U.N. special envoy declared Wednesday. Juan Mendez, U.N. special envoy on torture, announced plans to a start weeklong tour of Tajikistan beginning Thursday. He said the purpose of his visit is to assess steps taken by the government to bring anti-torture legislation in line with international standards. He said he was encouraged by steps taken so far but had concerns about how the country was complying with its obligations to provide remedies for victims of torture. \"(T)here remain significant gaps in legislation, policies and law enforcement practices and I stand ready to assist the authorities,\" he said in a statement. Amnesty International, in a report published last week, said it had particular concerns about the alleged abuses of prisoners in the country and called for an impartial and independent investigation into allegations of torture. \"Amnesty International\'s research shows that torture is an ongoing problem in Tajikistan, particularly in pre-trial detention where detainees are at particular risk of torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officers in order to get them to confess to crimes,\" the organization said. Mendez will provide a report on his visit May 18.