Council for the Prevention of Torture

The Council for the Prevention of Torture was established in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 52 on the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman).

The Council members were nominated by civil society and selected through a contest organized by the People’s Advocate Office for a five-year term, which cannot be renewed. The members of the Council include the People’s Advocate and the People’s Advocate on Child’s Rights.

The Council was created to protect individuals from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishments or treatments, serving as the national preventive mechanism against torture, in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

In the Republic of Moldova, the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPMT) was established in 2007. Since its inception, during two previous mandates, over 1,200 visits were conducted to places where individuals are or may be deprived of liberty. These visits aim to prevent ill-treatment and to provide recommendations intended to improve the conditions of persons in public custody.