Mechanisms for ensuring human rights protection in Tajikistan in the light of European and international standards were the focus of the one-day conference held in Dushanbe on 1 December 2022. The event was organised by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan in the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 – a joint initiative between the Council of Europe and the European Union.

The event brought together some 100 participants including representatives of national authorities of Tajikistan, civil society organisations and representatives of international organisations to reflect on achievements and challenges relating to human rights protection in Tajikistan.

As the Conference took place around the annual international campaign "16 days of activism against gender-based violence" (25 November – 10 December) and Human Rights Day (10 December), its thematic discussions focused in particular on two issues: combating domestic violence and respecting human rights in the context of extradition.

The Minister of Justice of Tajikistan, Ashuriyon Muzaffar Kurbonmuhammad, highlighted the recent national reform efforts and described the steps that Tajikistan intends to take to ensure human rights protection in the country.

The conference provided an opportunity for participants to become more familiar with the unique mechanism of human rights protection developed by the Council of Europe embracing the European Court of Human Rights and a number of multifaceted legal instruments, - the Council of Europe Conventions - a great majority of which are open to non-member States. Training opportunities for legal professionals offered by the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) in Central Asia were also presented.

The Director of the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination of the Council of Europe, Claus Neukirch, recalled that the Council of Europe, within the framework of the programme put at the disposal of partners in Central Asian countries its expertise based on its legal instruments and the best practices of its member States and beyond.

In that context, the Head of Delegation and Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan, Raimundas Karoblis, emphasised the importance of the commitment and initiatives of Tajik stakeholders in the implementation of the Central Asia Rule of Law programme.

Two thematic events will took place on the side of the conference on 2 December: a seminar for judges and prosecutors on human rights and extradition and a round table discussion with civil society organisations on combating violence against women and domestic violence.

The conference was organised within the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 which is a joint initiative, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.