PROJECT INTRODUCTION

PROJECT INTRODUCTION

YEAR 1.

The project is being implemented very successfully; the results are better than expected.

The objectives planned for the first year of the project have been fully achieved. All this allows us to be confident of the successful achievement of the ultimate goals. The project has received a lot of visualization in the Moldovan national media, the Gagauzian media, the Transnistrian media, as well as in foreign countries (Ukraine). The logframe is fully operational.

The results are much better than expected. For prison staff and psychiatric institution staff, the topics of the workshops were new and very useful (which is confirmed by our anonymous questionnaire for the beneficiaries).

Changes in the project: Due to the fact that the Government of Moldova issued a decree to release us from VAT 6 months after the start of the project and we could not purchase the goods because of this, and, accordingly, implement the project activities, a part of the activities was not fully completed during the 1^st year of the project, but it will be fully implemented in 2019.

Financial, physical and human resources were sufficient for the realization of the planned aims and achievements of the designed results of the project. Cost of the project was reasonable, and it corresponded to the other analogous actions. Events within the project were reasonable and adequate for the successful realization of the project. Plan of operations was realistic; we have fulfilled all planned events on time.

The given project was useful not only for the society but also for the organization. We have acquired some experience in the realization of projects.

At the moment, the planned results have been successfully achieved. The efficiency of the project is confirmed by the reports of beneficiaries and reviews in the press of Moldova and foreign countries.

RESULTS

Implemented:

Three regional centers for offering direct legal, psychological, and rehabilitation

assistance to victims of torture had been founded.

3 anti-torture TV broadcasts were held; 4 anti-torture radiobroadcasts were held;

7 anti-torture articles in the Moldavian media were published; 10 anti-torture stands were manufactured; 1800000 anti-torture leaflets were published.

Infrastructure had been created, and an activist group was founded; NGO Network including 20 Moldavian and Transnistrian NGOs was founded.

11 workshops for prison staff members, policemen, and psychiatric institution staff members were held;

278 prison staff members, policemen, and psychiatric institution staff members were informed of the National Preventive Mechanism, the inadmissibility of torture, and liability for it.

This result is fully implemented. In the second year of the project, all the remaining workshops will be held.

ACTIVITIES

Press conferences for visibility of the action and the EU funding (6 press-conferences).

Implementation stage: 2 press-conference was held, the remaining will be held during the second year (the period of main activities).

1) July 13, 2018, News Agency “INFOTAG”. This press conference dedicated to the opening of 3 Centers of Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau, Comrat and Tiraspol in the framework of the project “Let All of Us Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture“, which was launched in December 2017 with the support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), funded by the European Union.

Speakers:

Marco Gemmer, Deputy Head of the Operations Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

The topic of the speech: on the EU assistance programs in Moldova and the welcome speech in connection with the opening of the project.

Andrei Borșevski, Project Director, President of the Institute for Democracy (Comrat).

The topic of the presentation: about the project, its relevance for Moldova, its goals and actions, including the sub-grants program for NGOs in Moldova.

Luiza Doroșenko, Project Coordinator in Transnistria, President of the Media Center (Transnistria).

The topic of the speech: on the implementation of the project in Transnistria and the specifics of the implementation of projects to combat torture in Transnistria, the situation of torture in Transnistria.

Nonna Mihalcean Project Coordinator in Chisinau, National Institute for Women of Moldova (Chisinau).

Theme of the speech: services within the Centers of Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture.

Alexandru Zubco, Project Expert, Head of the Department for the Prevention of Torture of the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Moldova.

Subjects of the speech: the situation of torture in Moldova, the role of NGOs in the prevention the torture.

(2) November 20, 2018, News Agency “INFO-PRIM NEO”. This press conference dedicated to the first year of the project “Let All of Us Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture“, which was launched in December 2017 with the support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), funded by the European Union.

This project is being implemented by the Institute for Democracy (Comrat) in partnership with the Media Center (Transnistria) and the National Institute for Women of Moldova (Chisinau).

Speakers:

Eduard Pesendorfer, Programme Manager, Justice and Human Rights, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova

The topic of the speech: about the general role of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova in the area of Human Rights, as well as Delegation expectations for this project.

Andrei Borșevski, Project Director, President of the Institute for Democracy.

The topic of the speech: about the anti-torture project for Moldova, its goals and actions. Work statistics for the first year. Examples of assistance provided.

Luiza Doroșenko, Project Coordinator in the Transnistrian region, President of the Media Center (Transnistria).

The topic of the speech: on the implementation of the project in Transnistria and the specifics of the implementation of anti-torture project in the Transnistrian region. Difficulties of anti-torture implementation in Transnistria. Work statistics for the Transnistrian region.

Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator in Chisinau, National Institute for Women of Moldova (Chisinau).

Theme of the speech: services within the Centers of Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture. Examples of legal and psychological assistance provided.

Varvara Solomitski, Jurist of the Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in the Transnistrian region.

Theme of the speech: Examples of legal assistance provided in Transnistria. Cases specific description.

11 press-releases were issued another 20 press-releases are planned. Check art. 4 of the report.

Project color leaflets, 12 banners.

Organise 11 workshops for the administration and staff of prisons, psychiatric hospitals.

Examples of workshops:

On October 17, 2018, in the educational center of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of the Republic of Moldova in the village of Goian, a workshop for the staff of the penitentiary system on the inadmissibility of torture, criminal liability for its use, and prevention of torture in case of using special means and physical strength was held. The workshop was aimed at developing and increasing intolerance to torture among Moldovan prison staff.

As Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator and Head of the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Torture Victims in Chisinau, noted in the opening speech, torture and inhuman treatment were still present in the Republic of Moldova. (It is demonstrated by the statistics of the General Prosecutor’s Office, according to which, only in 2017, prosecutors received and considered 639 complaints of inhuman treatment, while in 2016, they were 622).

In 2017, prosecutors sent 34 criminal cases to courts; as a result of examining criminal cases, courts issued 20 sentences against 25 persons.

According to Nonna Mihalcean, human resources in penitentiary institutions were of particular importance; therefore, close attention should be paid to their participation in a series of thematic workshops.

During the workshop, prison staff and heads of the regime and supervision services were informed of criminal liability for torture in prisons, learning about legal guarantees in the context of use of physical force and special tools, recommendations on documentation and reporting incidents, and the importance of maintaining control over emotions and behavior. By using various methods, the coach contributed to developing intolerant attitude towards torture, increasing the understanding of the high probability of liability for their use.

The workshop complies with the Plan of the Implementation of the Penitentiary System Development Strategy for 2016-2020 approved by the Government of the Republic of Moldova, which provides for creating the potential of professional training of penitentiary system specialists.

As Alexandru Zubco, Head of the Department for Combating Torture at the Ombudsman’s Office, noted during the report at the workshop, the issue of torture was very important in the context of the lack of internal instructions on the use of special means and physical force, especially in case of vulnerable groups, which could make the staff breach common standards.

During the workshop, the participants were interested in good practices and positive examples of using special means so that they could avoid or minimize mistreatment of detainees. The audience also learned that, according to Paragraph 64 of the European Prison Rules, prison staff shall not use force against prisoners except in self-defense or in cases of attempted escape or active or passive physical resistance to a lawful order and always as a last resort.

The participants appreciated this event, thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it and noting that they learned a lot of new and useful information.

For the officers of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of Moldova in Goian, on November 6, 2018, a workshop on combating torture in Moldovan prisons was held. The workshop was attended by 25 penitentiary institution staff members (security service and transportation officers).

Initially, the project coordinator Nonna Mihalcean described the project itself and its goals, and spoke about implementing organizations and about the project donor, the European Union.

The practical session began with the I-ball-feature exercise for acquainting the participants with each other, when they introduced themselves and named the penitentiary institutions they represented and their personal traits they were proud of. That was done so that the participants could get to know each other and the workshop would later be held in an informal and friendly atmosphere.

During the workshop, the participants learned more about the characteristic of the phenomenon of “torture” and the difference between violence and torture. The coach involved the participants in the group work to identify the list of types of inhuman treatment in prisons nowadays; communication was informal. They also discussed the conditions of transportation of prisoners over long distances, the rules, and the correct actions staff could use to prevent inhuman treatment of prisoners.

The participants were informed of historical data related to the phenomenon of torture. They discussed the widespread use of torture in society in different historical epochs, and its massive and cruel forms which had been used as an “entertainment” for the crowd. The participants were shocked by the images of medieval torture, and spoke about this phenomenon very negatively.

The coach also described the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture in the Republic of Moldova. The participants learned that the creation of a national mechanism for the prevention of torture was one of the requirements of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention for the Prevention of Torture. Thus, they familiarized themselves with Article 17 of the Optional Protocol, which obliged the states to guarantee the functional independence of the national mechanism for the prevention of torture.

The coach explained that Chapter V of the Law on the Ombudsman was titled The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture and stated that, in order to protect individuals from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and punishment, the Council for the Prevention of Torture would be established as the national mechanism for the prevention of torture at the Ombudsman’s Office.

The coach described the duty of the penitentiary staff to cooperate with this Council, mentioning that the provisions of the Law on the Ombudsman forbid prescription, use, authorization, or permission to use any kind of punishment, as well as infringement of a person or organization in any other way, for providing any sort of information, credible or unreliable, to the members of the Council and other persons accompanying them in exercising their powers to prevent torture. The Council members shall independently choose places to be visited and persons they intend to talk to. For preventive and control visits, no prior notice or permission from any authority shall be required. During preventive and control visits, audio or video equipment may be used with the consent of the person to be recorded.

Such a detailed description of the powers of the Council was presented by the coach in order to inform the prison staff of their duty in order to cooperate with the Council, understand its functions, and realize that, in the Republic of Moldova, there was an efficient mechanism protecting prisoners from torture, and penitentiary institution staff was liable for using torture.

In the questionnaires, the participants wrote that they had been unaware of many aspects of the topic, that they personally did not use torture in their work, but knew about inhuman treatment such as overcrowded cells and the lack of high-quality medical services, and it was up to the managing officials to work with such issues.

The participants liked the method of conducting the workshop, especially the fact that it took place in an informal setting and included not just the presentation of lecture materials, but active techniques involving the participants.

The participants highly appreciated this workshop, thanking the organizers, the moderators, the European Union for supporting such an important and useful event.

After summing up the results, the participants noted that they learned a lot of new and useful, and would successfully apply the acquired knowledge in Moldova.

November 7, 2018: Deputy heads of penitentiary institutions of Moldova attended a workshop on the inadmissibility of torture.

The workshop was held at the educational center of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of Moldova in Goian. It was attended by deputy heads of penitentiary institutions of Moldova.

In the opening speech, the project coordinator Nonna Mihalcean described the project in detail, the implementing organizations, and the project donor, the European Union.

In order to prepare the group for the workshop, the coach offered to get acquainted with the participants using the technique of playing the ball (“The ball – the name – the main function at the workplace”). Everyone introduced themselves, named the penitentiary institution they represented, and described their most important official function.

During the workshop, the participants learned more about national and international torture prevention mechanisms. The Nelson Mandela Rules (United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners) were presented in a slide format. The audience learned that General Assembly Resolution 70/175 had decided to broaden the framework of Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrated annually on July 18, and use it to help ensure decent prison conditions, raise awareness of the fact that prisoners are an integral part of society, and accept the importance of the work of prison staff as a social service of special importance. The General Assembly resolution adopted a revised text of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and also endorsed the recommendation of the group of experts stating that those rules should be called the Nelson Mandela Rules in deference to the legacy of the late President of South Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

The participants remembered the phrase of the late President Nelson Mandela, “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”

The participants learned that the inadmissibility of torture was already indicated in Rule 1, which states that all prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings. No prisoner shall be subjected to, and all prisoners shall be protected from, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, for which no circumstances whatsoever may be invoked as a justification. The safety and security of prisoners, staff, service providers and visitors shall be ensured at all times.

The coach emphasized the importance of Rule 5.1, which states that the prison regime should seek to minimize any differences between prison life and life at liberty that tend to lessen the responsibility of the prisoners or the respect due to their dignity as human beings.

It was important to inform the deputy heads of penitentiary institutions of Moldova of Rules 50 and 51 stating that searches shall be conducted in a manner that is respectful of the inherent human dignity and privacy of the individual being searched, as well as the principles of proportionality, legality and necessity; searches shall not be used to harass, intimidate or unnecessarily intrude upon a prisoner’s privacy.

The participants learned that, according to these rules, every prisoner shall have an opportunity to daily contact the penitentiary director or their authorized officer with statements or complaints. All applications or complaints shall be subject to urgent consideration and answered without delay. In the event of rejection of an application or complaint, or in the event of an unjustified delay, the person filing an application or complaint shall have the right to send them to a judicial or other authority. Guarantees should be provided to enable inmates to file statements or complaints in a safe and confidential way if a person filing an application or complaint requests it. Inmates shall not be at any risk of retaliation, intimidation, or other adverse effects due to filing an application or complaint.

Allegations of torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners shall be immediately considered and become the subject of an urgent and impartial investigation by an independent state authority.

The workshop was held in an informal manner, the questions and answers of the coach created a comfortable environment for learning and sharing experiences.

After active discussions, the deputy heads of penitentiary institutions drew attention to a number of problems they faced daily. They asked how they could react to certain facts they could not change, such as the lack of medical staff at the penitentiary institutions and the prisoners’ urgent need of medical consultations. It was also mentioned that low pay, prison conditions at work, and constant anxiety for their lives led to the fact that doctors were reluctant to consider working at the penitentiary institutions. However, if prisoners are not provided with medical services upon their request, this is regarded as inhuman treatment and torture.

During the conversation, the coach discussed the models of the best penitentiary institutions in the world which had the most suitable conditions of detention and thus solved the problem of inhuman treatment.

The participants were involved in the practical exercise titled Open the Partner’s Fist, which allowed them to understand the importance of positive communication between the staff and inmates and could minimize aggression and susceptibility to inhuman treatment.

In the questionnaires, the participants wrote that they had learned a lot of new and useful information, and that they liked the seminar, the involvement of all the participants in it, and its informal atmosphere. The audience thanked the organizers and the donor, emphasizing the great practical importance of such workshops.

Creating three regional Centers of Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture (real and prospective) were established and started their activities in Chisinau, Gagauzia, and Transnistria / Creating three regional centers of Legal Assistance to victims of torture (real and prospective) were established and started their activities in Chisinau, Gagauzia, and Transnistria. The Centers are located at the following addresses: 71 Bucuresti Street, Chisinau (tel. 067203040); 21/3 Tretiacov Street, Comrat (tel. 078899110); 12/12 Shevchenko Street, Tiraspol (tel. 077973007).

Services offered by the Centers of Psychological and rehabilitation Assistance to victims of torture:

1) primary psychological assistance to victims of torture;

2) long-term psychological assistance to victims of torture;

3) psychological assessment of personality and testing in order to identify options for providing psychological assistance to victims of torture;

4) assistance (including confidential conversations) for restoring psychological and emotional state;

5) improving relationships with family members and friends, and restoring trust in other people;

6) support for developing self-determination and choice of occupation;

7) rehabilitation assistance to the victim, etc. (depending on the psychological state of the victim).

On July 25, 2018, a solemn opening of the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture took place in Comrat. The opening of this Center caused a great public response. The guest of honor at the opening of the Center was Peter Michalko, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

The inauguration of the Center was also attended by the Counselor for Political Affairs of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Moldova Elena-Alina Doroftei, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Moldova Mihail Cotorobai, the Mayor of Comrat Serghei Anastasov, the Acting Chairman of Comrat District Ivan Topal, the Rector of Comrat State University and the Deputy of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia Serghei Zaharia, the Head of the Main Department of External Relations of Gagauzia Vitalii Vlah, the Head of the Main Department of Health and Social Protection of Gagauzia Alexei Zlatovcen, representatives of the police, penitentiary institutions, etc. The attendees wished the Center success, noting the immense significance of this Center for Gagauzia and promising that their institutions would support the activities of the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture.

Opening the Center, Peter Michalko, Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova pointed out that human rights and democracy were the core values that the EU supported throughout the world; those values were the basis of the relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union and our Association Agreement. One of the obligations of the EU was to provide assistance and support for the democratic development of Moldova. The head of the EU Delegation indicated that he was very glad to announce the launch of the project Let’s Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture implemented by the Institute for Democracy in partnership with the Media Center of Transnistria and the National Institute of Women of Moldova.

According to Peter Michalko, in 2017, it became clear that in the Republic of Moldova there were still many problems associated with torture and inhuman treatment, mentioning the case of Andrei Braguta, who had died in a correctional institution due to existing system deficiencies.

The Ambassador pointed out that the European Union supported the police reform in the context of the implementation of the Association Agreement and its agenda. Within the framework of the mentioned budget support program, all the police detention facilities would be renovated. However, the program provided not only for renovating police isolators, but also for changing the attitudes and behavior. The delegation hoped that the phenomenon of torture and inhuman treatment in police custody would disappear.

Peter Michalko noted that the beginning of that project was a new sign that the European Union’s support for the Republic of Moldova was not diminishing: in the coming months, the European Union intended to initiate other projects dedicated, in particular, to strengthening local communities by enhancing close cooperation between state institutions, civil society, and citizens. The citizens of the Republic of Moldova, regardless of their places of residence – Chisinau, Comrat, or Tiraspol – had to be sure that they would remain in the center of attention and support of the EU, the Ambassador Peter Michalko, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, assured.

Providing qualified assistance to victims of torture was an urgent need, especially since many of those people were unaware of the fact that they were being subjected to inhuman treatment, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Moldova, Mihail Cotorobai, said at the opening of the Center.

The Mayor of Comrat Serghei Anastasov thanked Peter Michalko, EU Ambassador, for helping the European Union in opening this Center and implementing the other projects, noting that their result was noticeable in Comrat. The mayor said that the municipal police had greatly changed.

Serghei Anastasov mentioned that there was a special commission in the mayor’s office which examined cases of domestic violence. According to the mayor, people who come to the authorities for documents and certificates should not be mistreated. The mayor emphasized the importance of punishing people who use torture in penitentiary institutions and other places of confinement.

To conclude, Serghei Anastasov assured that the mayor’s office would cooperate with this Center if necessary, wishing it successful work.

Andrei Borsevski, President of the Institute for Democracy, assured that the Center created with the support of the EU would provide free and anonymous (upon the applicant’s request) legal assistance to those who had been subjected to torture and other forms of inhuman treatment. If necessary, psychological assistance would be also offered to victims. Psychological assistance would enable the victims of torture to cope with the trauma, and gradually find their place in society.

The centers are involved in various awareness-raising anti-torture campaigns. Thus, the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau joined the Campaign in Support of Victims of Torture, participating in a solidarity flashmob against torture organized by the Ombudsman’s Office and held in Chisinau on June 26, 2018.

During the first six months of their existence, over 400 people addressed 3 Centers, including 183 people with problems related to torture. In Chisinau, there were 81 appeals to the Center (38 to the psychologist and 55 to the lawyer, as some persons simultaneously contacted the lawyer and the psychologist), 297 general consultations were offered, including 155 by the psychologist and 142 by the lawyer. In Comrat, 159 persons addressed the Center (88 for psychological counseling, 71 for legal counseling), 118 complaints were received by the Center in Tiraspol (203 consultations were offered: the lawyer held 48 consultations, and the psychologist held 155 consultations).

Examples of cases: Alexandr Grecu (born on February 25, 1975) addressed the Center for Assistance to Victims of Torture in Comrat. He used the hotline asking for legal and psychological assistance in connection with the fact that, on August 18, 2018, in the outskirts of the village of Gavanoasa, Cahul District, he had been unreasonably beaten by the mayor of Gavanoasa Village Ivanov Vadim and the district police officer of the same village Gutu Dmitri. They had kicked him with their feet and hands on different parts of his body.

The beneficiary was given a recommendation to file a complaint to Cahul Prosecutor’s Office in order to bring the persons involved in the above-mentioned actions to justice, and also address for a referral for a forensic examination to register the injuries and determine their severity.

Currently, the case is under consideration by the Prosecutor’s Office of Cahul District. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the mayor of Gavanoasa Village and the district police inspector.

During the consultation, all the elements of the client counseling plan were fulfilled: introduction, contact, collecting the information on the problem, and formulating the problem.

Further work is scheduled to restore the victim’s emotional balance.

Conclusion on the work with the beneficiary: currently, Grecu A.’s complaint is under consideration at Cahul Prosecutor’s Office.

Antonina Petis has addressed the Center for Assistance to Victims of Torture in Tiraspol in order to protect the interests of her son, Mihail Petis, who was serving his sentence at PCD-1 in Glinoe Village. In 2009, he had been arrested for the rape of a minor girl. In 2011, he had been sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment; in 2012, according to amendments to the Criminal Code, 5 years of his prison term had been annulled.

Petis, the mother, has used the hotline of the Media Center complaining that, on August 14, 2018, her son M. Petis serving a sentence at PCD-1 in Glinoe Village was placed into a “pit” (punitive confinement), where he was staying until August 27, 2018. M. Petis was suffering from fever all the time spent in the “pit” (punitive confinement). After leaving the “pit”, M. Petis was sent to the sanitary department.

Even during M. Petis’s stay in the “pit” (punitive confinement), it was known that M. Petis was threatened with being placed in the “drill” (ward-type room) for 1 month.

On September 12 or 13, M. Petis was placed in the “drill” (ward-type room). After his mother’s calls to the head of the State Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice of the PMR and PCD-1, it became known that after 1 day spent in the “drill” (ward-type room), he was transferred to normal conditions.

On November 5, 2018, A. Petis reported that M. Petis was again placed in the so-called “drill” (ward-type room). For 3 months, M. Petis was suffering from fever. The examinations and analyzes did not reveal the cause of the fever.

On November 26, 2018, A. Petis reported that she did not address any authorities because her son M. Petis had told her not to go anywhere, since it could only make the entire situation worse.

On August 15, 2018, primary legal consultation took place. It clarified the procedure for filing a written application to the Ministry of Justice of the PMR and the State Penitentiary Service to find out about the state of health of her son at the moment, as well as the reason for his placement in the “pit”;

– it was found out that M. Petis had filed a case to the ECHR in 2012;

– On September 13, 2018, legal consultation took place. It explained at what stage the case of M. Petis was at the ECHR. It clarified the CPC rules regarding the resumption of the case under the newly discovered circumstances (the mother intended to have the case re-examined). It was decided to provide necessary legal assistance to the convict’s mother.

-On September 28, 2018, she was consulted on the procedure for registering an appointment with the Ministry of Justice, the State Penitentiary Service, and the Ombudsman, and the procedure for a written application to the relevant state authorities;

– On November 6, 2018, A. Petis was offered an individual legal consultation. Samples of applications to the authorities prepared by the lawyer were provided.

– It was recommended to appeal against all the disciplinary sanctions against M. Petis by addressing a higher official, and go to court if the result is dissatisfactory.

– The procedure for appealing against the penalties imposed in accordance with the PEC was explained. It was recommended to register the power of attorney at the head of the PCD, so that A. Petis could represent the interests of M. Petis in the process of appealing against the penalties imposed in the future;

– A draft application to the PCD with the demand to present the information on all penalties applied to M. Petis, including written reports of the PCD staff and the explanations of the convict, was presented (it was clarified that this was necessary in order to appeal against the penalties already imposed).

– On December 14, 2018, the procedure for filing a complaint to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice regarding the failure to provide proper medical care was clarified, and it was recommended to have an examination conducted in a regular medical institution.

Result: Due to the fact that the applicants refuse to take any action, because they fear that it could harm M. Petis, the case is being further monitored. It was decided to periodically contact A. Petish to clarify the situation and learn more about Mihail’s condition.

It was also explained that, if necessary, she could contact the Center at any time and get the necessary assistance.

Ecaterina Lipovcenco addressed the Tiraspol Center on July 19, 2018. According to her, her son A. Lipovcenco, who is serving a sentence at PCD-1, sent her a letter saying that the conditions of his detention were poor, and his health was deteriorating (fecal incontinence, severe dizziness, terrible pain, and fainting), yet he was not given any proper medical care.

The mother repeatedly appealed to the President for the pardon of her son A. Lipovcenco. The attempts to achieve the liberation of A. Lipovcenco failed.

Lipovcenco needed legal advice on possible solutions in her son’s situation.

On July 20, 2018, an initial legal consultation was held. Copies of available documents were received.

On July 31, 2018, she was consulted about the possibility of filing an application for parole; it was recommended to apply to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health about A. Lipovcenco’s examination, as well as prescribing an effective treatment.

A draft application for parole was prepared and sent; it was clarified which copies should be attached.

It was decided that, after his release, A. Lipovcenco would be consulted about the possibility of filing a complaint to the ECHR about poor conditions of detention.

Anna Jelezoglo (born on March 30, 1989) has addressed us. On July 31, 2018, she filed a complaint to the police inspectorate of the town of Ceadir-Lunga stating that, on July 27, 2018, her ex-husband Jelezoglo G. (born in 1986) had beaten her, hitting her with a flashlight on her head and with his hands on various parts of her body, and also kicking her with his feet, so that her arms and legs had been bruised all over.

However, the complaint dated July 31, 2018, was examined by the district inspector of Ceadir-Lunga Police Inspectorate, V. Radov, who was a neighbor and friend of Jelezoglo G.; therefore, the principle of impartiality in considering and taking a decision regarding the complaint filed by Jelezoglo A. was breached. In addition, the police officer intimidated Jelezoglo Anna (which was regarded as psychological torture by the victim) and the witnesses, and this fact significantly affected the progress of the investigation of the case.

Legal assistance: complaint No 2235 dated September 17, 2018, regarding Radov V., the district police officer from the town of Ceadir-Lunga, who had impeded the consideration of the complaint of citizen Jelezoglo A. by threatening and intimidating her, was drawn up and sent to the prosecutor’s office of the ATU of Gagauzia.

Psychological assistance offered: during the consultation, all the elements of the client counseling plan were fulfilled: introduction, contact, collecting the information on the problem, formulating the problem, and ending the conversation.

The beneficiary had such emotions as resentment, helplessness, anxiety for herself, and self-doubt.

The first consultation was aimed at reducing anxiety. An exercise titled Breathing took place. Subsequent work to restore emotional balance was scheduled.

Conclusion on the work done: currently, the materials of the beneficiary’s complaints are under consideration at the prosecutor’s office of the ATU of Gagauzia. The work with the client continues.

On August 2, 2018, the mother of the prisoner Axentieva S., born in 1985 (Penitentiary 11, cell 38) addressed the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture regarding the detention of her daughter; she also complained about the situation of her fellow inmates, stating that, due to the inaction of the penitentiary administration (the women’s block), they were subjected to torture and inhuman and degrading treatment in prison.

According to the information provided, the detainees are in the overcrowded premises; there are no ladders for climbing the bunker beds; portions of food are small; there is no place for storing personal belongings, including body hygiene kits; there is no ventilation system; the artificial lighting is too weak; dirty mattresses / only one set of bed clothing, which is outworn; low temperature in the cells, etc. There was not enough fresh air and natural light. Artificial light was inadequate. The detainee complains about the presence of mold, insects, and rare access to the shower / bath, including disinfection in the presence of detainees, after which, a strong penetrating and harmful odor persists. Besides, some inventory items, such as bedside tables, clothes hangers, and wall shelves are missing. Such conditions may force prisoners to place plates with food on their knees or legs, store their personal belongings, including dishes, on the concrete floor, which is harmful to their health, and write on their lap or use a chair or bed as a support.

The detainees spent a long time, 6 months, in such conditions. Such detention creates anxiety, frustration, deterioration of health, humiliation, phobia, mistrust, etc.

Assistance provided: During the initial consultation, the lawyer registered the complaint of the victim’s mother and clarified the case data, explained the prisoner’s rights and the ways of protecting them, and made a further action plan.

The lawyer suggested that Axentieva’s mother could clarify the details of her imprisoned daughter’s living conditions during their next meeting, talk to her, and register the complaints (in writing) about the inhuman treatment and poor conditions of detention that fall into the category of torture, to her and her colleagues from the prison administration.

The lawyer from the center explained to the mother how to write and register a complaint on behalf of the prisoner Axentieva to the Ombudsman’s Office in Chisinau.

The case was also forwarded to the Department for the Prevention of Torture at the Ombudsman’s Office with a request for a documentary visit to Penitentiary 11.

The lawyer from the center informed the victim’s relatives of the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against the prison in the event of the institution’s refusal to improve the situation described.

The lawyer from the center had a personal meeting with the representative of the Ombudsman’s Office in Balti, Mr. Cocirli, in order to jointly take control of the living conditions of female inmates in the prison block of Penitentiary 11.

Result of our work: After the joint actions of the Chisinau Center and the Ombudsman’s Office, in Penitentiary No 11, cosmetic renovation started in the affected cells, pest control took place, proper lighting was provided, etc. The situation of the prisoners improved.

Information campaign in press and on the TV/Radio, colour stands and advertising calendars, where the victims or their relatives will be informed about the address of the centers for offering direct legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture and about the telephone number.

Creating a permanently working NGO network for combating torture has been established.

This Network is aimed at sharing experience among NGOs, raising their awareness of torture and ways to combat this phenomenon, and methods of influencing the authorities to enhance its activities in struggling against torture. After an intensive training program, the Network members will share the acquired knowledge of torture prevention methods in their regions. They will offer informational and legal assistance to other NGOs in the regions of Moldova.

On September 29, 2018, in Chisinau, the first meeting of the Network of Regional Non-Governmental Organizations implementing or planning to implement anti-torture activities was held.

During the first meeting of the Network on September 29, Andrei Borsevski, President of the Institute for Democracy, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech, emphasizing the importance of combating torture and the relevance of sharing experience among Moldovan NGOs.

Luiza Dorosenco, Director of the Media Center of Transnistria, noted that the cooperation of civil society on the two banks of the Dniester in the struggle against torture was very important and would allow the NGOs to learn from each other’s experience, therefore, helping to expand their professional activities.

The presentation of the Centers for Legal and Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau, Tiraspol, and Comrat was made by Nonna Mihalcean, who mentioned that the Centers would help victims of torture to overcome psychological stress and also offer legal assistance to persons who had been subjected to torture and other abusive treatment.

Alexandru Zubco, Head of the Department for Combating Torture at the Office of the People’s Advocate, mentioned while attending the meeting of the Network, that last year, 800 complaints of poor conditions of detention or lack of or insufficient medical care had been received from penitentiary institutions and detention centers, and in the first half of the current year, over 400 such complaints had been received, which demonstrated alarming trends.

The open dialogue allowed identifying the problems of torture not only throughout Moldova, but also in individual regions, share experience, and establish contacts for joint activities.

The participants appreciated this event, thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it.

On October 20, 2018, the second meeting of the Network of Regional Non-Governmental Organizations against Torture was held in Chisinau. The representatives of various public organizations were able to learn more about their colleagues’ work for the benefit of people, including their struggle against inhuman treatment and torture.

The representatives of various Moldovan public organizations (including those from the Transnistrian region) were informed of their colleagues’ work for the benefit of people, including their struggle against inhuman treatment and torture. Luiza Dorosenco, Director of the Media Center of Transnistria and Project Coordinator in the Transnistrian Region, noted that working together could change the situation for the better. According to her, the anti-torture cooperation of civil society from the two banks of the Dniester was very important and would allow the NGOs to learn from each other’s experience, thereby extending their professional activities.

The program of the meeting included discussing the current state of our project, its prospects, and planned events.

During the meeting, the further development strategy of the Network and plans for its expansion were determined.

Teaching the Network representatives instead of merely discussing the topic became a good tradition of the meetings. This time, the psychologist from the Center for Legal and Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau spoke about the psychological profile of victims of torture. This is especially important, since victims of torture suffer not only from physical pain: they have severe psychological trauma, and its consequences can negatively affect their entire future lives.

During the meeting, the project coordinator Nonna Mihalcean involved the participants in various types of informal exercises: they learned about the effectiveness of using DIXIT projective maps, and studied the Hand and 5 Characteristics technique which could be used in working with beneficiaries and colleagues in order to understand the victim’s psychological profile better.

The dialogue that took place made it possible to share experiences and establish contacts for joint activities among various NGOs. The participants appreciated this event, thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it.

On November 21, 2018, the 3^rd meeting of the Network of Regional Non-Governmental Organizations against Torture was held in Comrat. The broad geographical coverage of the participants during the meeting was very positive: it was attended by the organizations from Comrat, Ribnita, Tiraspol, Bender, Chisinau, Balti, and other regions of Moldova. That fact allowed organizations to share their experience and discuss their plans, which was in line with the objectives of the Network, aimed at sharing experience among the NGOs and raising their awareness of torture and ways of combating it, including by means of influencing the authorities to enhance their anti-torture activities.

The participants were very positive about the network’s visiting session, as they were able to communicate with non-governmental organizations from Gagauzia more actively and learn more about the situation in the region. During the meeting of the Network, Andrei Borsevski, President of the Institute for Democracy, told the participants about the project titled Let’s Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture, its achievements, and informed them that, on that day, three TV channels of Gagauzia (Teleradio-Gagauzia Public Broadcasting Company, ATV Broadcasting Company, and PERVII NARODNII CANAL Broadcasting Company) were organizing the programs which involved the project management as the guests in the studio, and the programs themselves were dedicated to the project and methods of combating torture.

The meeting of the Network took place in a friendly and active form; the participants listened attentively, asked questions, and offered their suggestions. During the meeting of the Network, the Transnistrian participants were very interested in the issue of relations with the Moldovan authorities and the administration of prisons and psychiatric institutions on the right bank of the Dniester. Andrei Borsevski noted that there were no obstacles to project implementation from the state authorities of Moldova or the prison administration; on the contrary, a written cooperation agreement had been signed with the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of the Republic of Moldova, which allowed the representatives of the Institute for Democracy to hold lectures in all the prisons throughout the country. The Institute for Democracy had also signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, which provided an opportunity to hold seminars at the institutions subordinate to the Ministry. The participants from Transnistria were surprised by such openness from the part of the Moldovan authorities and the administration of the Moldovan prisons: according to them, in Transnistria, it could only be dreamed of. The Transnistrian NGOs had no access to Transnistrian prisons at all: the authorities were categorically against any anti-torture projects in Transnistria. As one of the Transnistrian participants noted, a person involved in anti-torture projects and working with the police could wind up behind bars.

Teaching the Network representatives became a good tradition. That time, the lawyer of the Center for Legal and Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture in Comrat spoke about the legal aspects of struggling against torture and the relations with the state authorities and the police of Gagauzia. He cited the statistics on the activities of the Center for Legal and Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture in Comrat.

Besides, during the meeting, the participants discussed the upcoming small grant program. Luiza Dorosenco, Director of the Media Center of Transnistria and Project Coordinator in the Transnistrian Region, shared her experience of working with partner organizations from the right bank, noting that other Transnistrian NGOs could use their experience. Luiza Dorosenco also briefly spoke about the work of the Center for Legal and Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture in Tiraspol.

In addition, Luiza Dorosenco mentioned the difficulties faced while implementing the project on the left bank.

Alexandru Zubco, Head of the Department for Combating Torture at the Office of the People’s Advocateof the Republic of Moldova, briefly shared his experience in combating torture with the participants and the role of the People’s Advocate in such activities.

Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator for Chisinau, told the Network members about the workshops at the penitentiary institutions of Moldova, noting that deputy heads of prisons in Moldova, as well as prison staff, had been trained. The participants developed intolerance to using torture; they were informed that they would be liable for torture, as it was a crime according to both Moldovan and international legislation.

Nonna Mihalcean told how their attitude towards torture had changed as a result of intensive training, noting that promoting intolerance to torture among prison staff was generally successful, though of course it could have happened much faster.

At the end of the meeting, the participants made a tour of Comrat and visited the sights of the city.

That outreach meeting allowed the NGOs to share their experiences, learn about the NGOs of Gagauzia and their work, and establish contacts among the NGOs. The participants suggested organizing more outreach meetings, emphasizing their usefulness and significance and thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it.

Anti-torture TV-broadcasts on TV channels in Gagauzia. To achieve the goals of our project in an efficient way, is important to organize TV programs on the local TV in Gagauzia (inhabited mostly by minorities: Gagauzians, Bulgarians, etc.). The reason is that most residents of Gagauzia do not watch the republican TV or read any national newspapers. They watch mostly local channels and trust them. Programs in the national media only will be ineffective for the residents of Gagauzia and are likely to be unnoticed. Therefore, TV program on the local Gagauzian channels is the only efficient way of informing the residents of Gagauzia of the anti-torture instruments.

The TV broadcasts were dedicated to combating torture and describing the project, our activities, and the way we could help people in case of torture. The programs were broadcast by the following TV channels: Teleradio-Gagauzia Public Broadcasting Company, ATV channel, and PERVII NARODNII CANAL channel. Most of the programs were shown repeatedly, in particular, PERVII NARODNII CANAL broadcast the program 8 times. Besides, these programs were published on the websites of TV channels. As the calls demonstrated, these TV programs were very popular and were watched by a large number of residents.

4 anti-torture radio-broadcasts on radio channels in Moldova.

Anti-torture articles in the Moldavian media. The article titled Human Rights and Their Protection in Moldova: The Right to Protection from Torture was published in Legea si viata (Law and Life) magazine in February 2018 (2018, No 2, pp. 4-12).

The article titled The Right to Protection against Torture in Moldova was published in Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law) magazine (2018, No 1, pp. 90-101). The article includes a description of the citizens’ right to protection against torture and describes our project.

The choice of Zakon i Zhizn(Law and Life) magazine for the publication of this article is due to the fact that this magazine is read both by those who use torture and those who struggle against it, since the magazine is distributed among lawyers and law students, including the founders of the magazine. The magazine’s founders are: the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova (which manages all the prisons of Moldova), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Moldova, and the universities of Moldova – the Slavic University, Cahul State University, the Institute of Applied Criminology and Criminal Policy, etc.).

In Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law) magazine (2018, No 2), an article titled The Procedure of Court Examination of Complaints against Refusals to Initiate Criminal Prosecution was published. This article not only considers the possibility of filing complaints regarding refusals to initiate criminal prosecution, including in cases of torture, but also includes a detailed description of our project, its goals, objectives, and activities (2018, No 2, pp. 25-36).

In Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law) magazine (2018, No 4, pp. 17-21), an article titled New Initiatives of the European Union: a Project to Counteract Torture in Moldova was published. This issue of the magazine also includes an article titled Only a High-Quality Penitentiary System Based on Respecting an Individual Will Prevent Torture: An Opinion of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Moldova (2018, No 4, pp. 28-31).

Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law) magazine (2018, No 3) contains our article titled The Importance of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, and also describes our project in detail (2018, No 3, pp. 43-47).

All of these articles describe not only our project with an indication of the donor, but also provide practical recommendations useful to lawyers, judges, police officers, and representatives of civil society.

The choice of Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law) magazine for the publication of this article is due to the fact that this magazine is read both by those who use torture and those who struggle against it, since the magazine is distributed among lawyers and law students from Moldova and Ukraine, including the founders of the magazine. The magazine’s founders are: the Center for Analysis and Legal Expertise of Moldova, Balti State University (Moldova), Comrat State University (Moldova), the Institute of Continuing Education (Moldova), the Institute of Scientific Research and Expertise in the Sphere of Law (Moldova), the National University of Kyiv (Ukraine) , the National University of Kharkiv (Ukraine), the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, etc., including public organizations of Moldova.

Also there were other articles in “Rule of Law” Magazine and “Law and Life” Magazine (among its founders are the Ministry of Justice, the leading universities of Moldova, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other public institutions, as well as the supreme judicial instances of Moldova – the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court).

Ten stands “Legal instruments against torture”.

Color leaflets “National Preventive Mechanism against Torture in Moldova: Role and Importance” (RU/RO).

information color leaflets “STOP Torture!” (RU/RO).

In order to implement our project, we actively cooperate with the government authorities. We have received letters guaranteeing the participation of police officers, prison administration and staff, and medical institution employees. For this purpose, we have signed agreements with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Protection of Moldova, the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of Moldova, and the General Police Inspectorate. These letters allow us to conduct our activities in any prisons, police stations, and hospitals.

In addition, we signed a cooperation agreement with the Office of the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Moldova. The document is aimed at implementing anti-torture measures in the Republic of Moldova through the provision of legal assistance to victims of torture and their relatives, psychological counseling, and implementation of individual rehabilitation programs.

YEAR 2

The project is being implemented very successfully; the results are better than expected (eg, participants of the workshops: 679 participants (were planned 620 participants) – prison staff and psychiatric institution staff; 282 participants (were planned 220 participants) – law students from Moldavian universities; 502 participants (were planned 460 participants) – inmates, mental asylum patients, and children from boarding houses.

The objectives planned for the 2 year of the project have been fully achieved. All this allows us to be confident of the successful achievement of the ultimate goals. The project has received a lot of visualization in the Moldovan national media, the Gagauzian media, the Transnistrian media, as well as in foreign countries (Ukraine). The logframe is fully operational.

The Institute for Democracy is a member of the International Network of Penitentiary Education in the Countries of Eastern Partnership and Central Asia (2020).

Outcomes:

– Participants of the workshops:

676 participants (were planned 620 participants) – prison staff and psychiatric institution staff.

282 participants (were planned 220 participants) – law students from Moldavian universities.

502 participants (were planned 460 participants) – inmates, mental asylum patients, and children from boarding houses.

– NGO Network for combating torture members: 25 participants.

– Beneficiaries of the 3 regional centers for offering direct legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture: During the second year of the project, 918 beneficiaries have addressed our 3 Centers for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 284). 546 legal consultations and 764 psychological counseling sessions have been held. The 3 Centers has had 531 phone calls and 29 letters.

During the second year of the project, 357 beneficiaries have addressed our Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Comrat (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 27; relatives of victims of torture – 102); 27 of them have been provided continuous assistance in resolving their situations. The Center in Comrat has had 28 phone calls and 10 letters. 190 legal consultations and 167 psychological counseling sessions have been held.

During the second year of the project, 225 beneficiaries have addressed our Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 164). At the Center in Chisinau, there have been 93 appeals to the lawyer, 101 to the psychologist, and 31 general ones (the total number of appeals is 225). 333 legal consultations and 337 psychological counseling sessions have been held. The Center in Chisinau has had 287 phone calls and 19 letters.

During the second year of the project, 336 beneficiaries have addressed our Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in in Tiraspol (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 93). 79 persons have addressed the Center in Tiraspol for legal assistance (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 18). The visitors have been provided 24 legal consultations, which include drafting documents. The lawyer is currently working on 10 cases. 260 persons have addressed the Center in Tiraspol for psychological assistance (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 78). The reporting period includes 206 psychological counseling sessions, 155 of which are repeated ones. 10 beneficiaries have been having rehabilitation assistance. The Center in Tiraspol has had 216 phone calls.

The Centers provide legal and psychological counseling to persons who have suffered from torture and their relatives. The psychologist and the lawyer have also visited the beneficiaries, i.e. the persons who have been subjected to torture, and their relatives, at the places of their stay in cases when they have no opportunity to visit the Center. For instance, consultations have been provided at home to the beneficiaries in Tiraspol, Bender, and Dnestrovsc, those residing at the Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility in Tiraspol (9 Gvardeiscaia Str., Tiraspol), etc.

– Beneficiaries of the leaflets, banners, broadcasts, articles: ca. 110.000 residents of Transnistria and Moldova.

– Beneficiaries of the extensive public awareness campaign for increasing social intolerance towards torture (TV broadcasts and radio-broadcasts, articles): ca. 300.000 residents of Transnistria and Moldova.

Thus, 42 workshops have been held for the staff of detention centers, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and policemen (Year 1 and Year 2); 31 workshops in Year 2. 11 workshops have been held for students. 23 workshops have been held for inmates and mental asylum patients.

RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES

RESULTS

31 workshops for 676 prison staff members, policemen, and psychiatric institution staff members were held.

N	Workshops, Year 2 (prison staff members, policemen, and psychiatric institution staff members)
1.	11.12.2018 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 22 participants
2.	12.03.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 20 participants
3.	27.03.2019 – Florești Police Inspectorate – 20 participants
4.	29.03.2019 – Temporary Placement Center for people with Baltic Disabilities – health doctors – 25 participants
5.	09.04.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 20 participants
6.	10.04.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 20 participants
7.	11.04.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 21 participants
8.	12.04.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 20 participants
9.	20.04.2019 – Psychiatric Hospital in Balti – 23 participants
10.	14.05.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 20 participants
11.	12.06.2019 – Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Bădiceni – 23 participants
12.	06.14.2019 – Soroca Prison P6 – 20 participants
13.	20.06.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni 20 participants
14.	06.28.2019 – Lipcani penitentiary – 25 participants
15.	20.08.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni 25 participants
16.	21.08.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Bădiceni – 27 participants
17.	08.23.2019 – Soroca Prison P6, – 21 participants
18.	09.09.2019 – The penitentiary in Brănești P18 – 23 participants
19.	10.09.2019 – Penitentiary in Brănești P18 – 20 participants
20.	11.09.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni 20 participants
21.	12.09.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni – 21 participants
22.	13.09.2019 – Temporary placement center for persons with Disabilities – 25 participants
23.	09/16/2019 – Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Brânzeni – 23 participants
24.	15.10.2019 – Chisinau Penitentiary P16 – 20 participants
25.	16.10.2019 – Chisinau penitentiary P16 – 20 participants
26.	21.10.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni 22 participants
27.	04.11.2019 – Center of the National Administration of Penitentiaries in Goieni 24 participants
28.	14.11.2019 – Gagauzia Department of Internal Affairs, police – 21 participants
29.	19.11.2019 – Chisinau Penitentiary P9 – 21 participants
30.	20.11.2019 – Chisinau Prison P9 – 21 participants
31.	22.11.2019 – Temporary Placement Center for People with Disabilities, Dubasari – 23 participants
TOTAL	676 participants

11 workshops for 282 law students from Moldavian universities were held.

N	Workshops, Year 2 (law students from Moldavian universities)
1.	13.03.19 – ULIM, International Free University of Moldova – 31 students
2.	15.03.19 – Balti State University – 25 students
3.	16.03.19 – Balti State University – 24 students
4.	17.03.19 – Balti State University (Anticafenea – CRAT) – 29 students
5.	23.05.19 – Balti State University – 25 students
6.	24.10.2019 – Balti State University – 25 students
7.	25.10.2019 – Balti State University – 21 students
8.	12.11.2019 – Comrat State University – 25 students
9.	13.11.2019 – Comrat State University – 24 students
10.	25.11.2019 – ULIM, International Free University of Moldova – 23 students
11.	26.11.2019 – ULIM, International Free University of Moldova – 30 students
TOTAL	282 participants

Three regional centers for offering direct legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture had been founded.

10 anti-torture articles in the Moldavian media were published;

6 radio-broadcasts were held;

60000 anti-torture leaflets were published.

23 workshops for 502 inmates, mental asylum patients will learn about the methods of opposing torture were held.

No	Name of the Broadcaster	Topic	Date
1	Vocea Basarabiei	Presentation of the project, its goal, and events. Presentation of the 3 centers and the services within the project. The difference between domestic violence and torture was discussed, and who could address us was mentioned.	April 2019
2	Radio Noroc	Presentation of the project. The lawyer spoke about the Center’s recent cases and the ways to contact us; we described a victim’s psychological portrait.	April 2019
3	Radio National Moldova 1	International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Presentation of the Centers’ work and services provided by the 3 Centers. We discussed cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office and 2 recent cases the Center in Chisinau was working upon.	June 2019
4	Radio Sputnik	The project and its goals, recent cases, and statistics were presented. We discussed the situation regarding torture in Moldova, a victim’s psychological portrait, and those who contacted us.	October 15, 2019
5	Radio National Moldova 1	Presentation of the project, the donor, the Centers, and services provided by the specialists. The anti-torture network was presented; the workshops and the sub-grant program were discussed.	October 23, 2019
6	Radio National Moldova 1	Presentation of the project, the donor, and the cases; we provided a description of the notion of torture. We also informed the public how to contact us and what services were available at the Centers.	November 2, 2019

N	Workshops, Year 2 (inmates, mental asylum patients will learn about the methods of opposing torture)
1.	28.03.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for people with Baltic Disabilities – 25 participants
2.	18.05.2019 – Lipcani Penitentiary, P2 – 22 participants
3.	19.05.2019 – Lipcani Penitentiary, P2 – 27 participants
4.	25.05.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities – 19 participants
5.	26.05.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities – 20 participants
6.	27.05.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with disabilities – 20 participants
7.	28.05.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities – 22 participants
8.	13.06.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Bădiceni – 20 participants
9.	06.15.2019 – Soroca Penitentiary, P6 – 25 participants
10.	06.29.2019 – Lipcani Penitentiary, P2 – 20 participants
11.	22.08. 2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Bădiceni – 23 participants
12.	24.08. 2019 – Soroca Penitentiary, P6 – 23 participants
13.	16.09.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Brânzeni – 20 participants
14.	17.09.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Brânzeni – 20 participants
15.	17.10.2019 – Penitentiary in Brănești, P18 – 24 participants
16.	18.10.2019 – Penitentiary in Brănești, P18 – 20 participants
17.	19.10.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Brânzeni – 21 participants
18.	20.10.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary placement center for persons with disabilities from Brânzeni – 23 participants
19.	14.11.2019 – Leova Prison, P20 – 21 participants
20.	15.11.2019 – Leova Prison, P20 – 22 participants
21.	23.11.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities – 24 participants
22.	24.11.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities – 20 participants
23.	25.11.2019 – CPTPDB, Temporary Placement Center for persons with Disabilities from Dubasari – 21 participants
TOTAL	502 participants

Anti-torture Network including Moldavian and Transnistrian NGOs has been founded (5 workshops for NGOs (Network members) / 5 Network meetings).

Activity of the NGO Network: In their statements and conversations, the Network participants have mentioned that they used to be informed about torture to a lesser extent, and were unaware of the places and institutions mostly related to the risk of torture; the overwhelming majority mentions that they did not know about the conditions of detention used as torture, etc.

The increase in the number of NGOs eager to become the Network members confirms their interest in the issue and the intention to act in order to solve the problem, which is an indicator of success.

Another indicator of success is that the NGO representatives who are the Network members seek advice regarding the ways of preventing torture, developing zero tolerance for torture at the places of their activity, share their experiences, and expect for a mini-grants competition to be announced in order to combat torture more efficiently.

Creating an anti-torture network is of great importance due to the fact that it informs and brings together opinion leaders and heads of various NGOs from all the regions of Moldova to generate intolerance to torture in society.

The Network participants, in their turn, inform the members of their NGOs and the beneficiaries about the situation related to torture, thus contributing to zero tolerance to torture and counteracting it.

The project partner organizations share their experience in combating torture with the Network members, encourage them to go on, and provide methodological support.

The regional network, involving colleagues in the educational process, sharing experience, and discussing the issue of preventing torture in the country, has made it possible to expand the influence of the project in the regions where we have no legal, psychological, or rehabilitation centers, as the NGOs from different localities of Moldova have become the Network members. The number of applicants and their interest in becoming parts of the project has confirmed the success and importance of creating and involving other interested colleagues in the Network.

Therefore, the Network has ensured the promotion of information regarding the project and the project services outside the regions where rehabilitation centers exist. As a result of the Network’s activity, 3 victims have been recently readdressed to the Chisinau Center by the Network members. Currently, in Moldova, there are 10 regions (the locations of the Network members), where there are persons who know how to react to torture and ill-treatment, and the Network members can also redirect the victims or their relatives and friends to the assistance centers. Some Network members, after the training workshops within the Network, have discovered that they used to pay no attention to some of the actions that could be classified as torture or ill-treatment. They are now more vigilant and write about any incident in their regions to the Center coordinators.

Many public organizations intend to counter torture, yet have insufficient skills to succeed. In this regard, the Network uniting together public organizations from both banks of the Dniester was founded. It aims to share experience, achievements, and increase knowledge on combating torture for improving their professionalism. The Network holds regular meetings; we organize training workshops for its members. As a result, the Network members’ knowledge and skills of combating torture have improved. The Network participants have started counteracting this phenomenon in a more active manner, monitoring manifestation of torture and inhuman treatment in their regions, and referring identified victims to the centers for assistance to victims of torture. All of these facts reveal the importance of the Network’s activities.

The Network meetings were held on May 15, 2019, July 1, 2019, September 13, 2019, October 21, 2019, November 9, 2019, etc.

During the Network meeting held on May 15, 2019, Andrei Borsevski, President of the Institute for Democracy, addressed a welcoming speech to the audience, mentioning the importance and success of sharing the knowledge among the NGOs of Moldova. Luiza Dorosenco, Director of the Media Center of Transnistria, noted that the phenomenon of torture could be defeated only by joint efforts, and NGO anti-torture cooperation was very important and would facilitate sharing their experience.

The open dialogue that followed allowed identifying the issues of torture in certain regions, sharing experiences, and establishing contacts for further joint activities.

The participants appreciated this event, thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it.

On July 1, 2019, a regular meeting of the Anti-Torture Network of Regional Non-Governmental Organizations was held. The Network members learned more about their colleagues’ anti-torture activities and shared their experiences. Among its positive aspects, the vast geographic coverage of the participants in this meeting should be mentioned: the meeting was attended by the representatives of the organizations from Comrat, Ribnita, Tiraspol, Bender, Chisinau, Balti, etc. They shared their experiences and discussed their plans to combat torture. The Network meeting was held in an informal active manner; the participants listened attentively, asked questions, and share their own suggestions.

Another meeting of the Network participants was held on September 13, 2019, in Chisinau. The NGO leaders and activists arrived from various localities from all regions of Moldova to attend it. The topic was very important for everyone: The Sub-Grant Program: Discussing Partnerships and Eventual Projects.

Andrei Borsevski, President of the Institute for Democracy, the main partner organization of the project titled Say NO to Torture in Moldova All Together: Civil Society against Torture and implemented jointly with the National Institute for Women of Moldova Equality and the Media Center of Transnistria with the support of the European Union, announced opening the sub-grant program for the NGOs.

In connection with the announcement of the sub-grant contest, the audience had many questions. The recently founded NGO representatives showed particular concern: they wondered if they would be able to understand all the requirements and cope with preparing the project offer.

Luiza Dorosenco, Project Coordinator, clarified the details of the small grant program. Together with the audience, each paragraph of the Applicant Guidebook and each paragraph of the application form were examined in detail. No questions were left unanswered.

Partnership building was paid particular attention to during the meeting. “Filing a project in partnership with another organization or organizations is not necessary, but it is welcome, as it expands the geography of the project and allows involving more beneficiaries, which increases its overall efficiency”, Andrei Borsevski explained.

After the audience discussed the possibility of creating partnerships and the topics of the projects, they switched to the “question and answer session” again. The Network members clarified which topics were acceptable for the grant contest, jointly determined the degree of implementability of the project on the declared topics in a particular district, and shared their negative and successful experiences.

“The Network’s working meeting has been very productive, and we expect that the participants will present interesting, realistic, and efficient projects covering all the districts with their impact”, Luiza Dorosenco summed up.

On October 21, 2019, the next meeting of the Anti-Torture Network of Regional Non-Governmental Organizations was held. The participants shared their working experience and described their achievements. During the active discussion, the difficulties the Network members were faced with, as well as the existing problems and specificity of the Network members’ activities in the Transnistrian region were touched upon.

Andrei Borsevscki, President of the Institute for Democracy, and Luiza Dorosenco, Director of the Media Center of Transnistria, presented the statistical data of the mini-grant contest organized within the project, discussed the topics of the filed applications, and described the selection procedure.

The psychologist from the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Tiraspol presented an informational and educational report titled On the Particularities of Psychological Assistance to Victims of Torture to the Network members. The audience stated the usefulness of the materials presented, since most NGOs did not have qualified psychologists as their staff members. They learned a lot of new information from the report and will be able to apply it in their work in the districts.

To assist the Network members in seeking support for their projects, Luiza Dorosenco spoke about the new grant contest for combating torture in the RM titled Education in Penitentiaries, which had been previously announced.

After that, the Network members started an open dialogue and discussed the issues of interest.

In addition, the training workshops were held for the Network participants (on June 17, 2019, September 17, 2019, September 25, 2019, October 26, 2019, and November 2, 2019).

The workshops were successful judging by several indicators: the number of participants per each workshop, which indicates their interest in the issue, and the feedback in the final questionnaires, where participants demonstrate the need for such workshops and ask to include their colleagues in the audience, too. We have also attentively examined the beneficiaries’ reaction to the use of torture in the beginning of the workshop, and the way they responded to it in the end of the class: their opinions and attitudes were changing radically, and they showed an obviously negative attitude towards torture. The workshops were held for the staff members working with prospective victims on a daily basis.

ACTIVITIES

Press conferences for visibility of the action and the EU funding.

1) September 11, 2019, News Agency “INFOTAG”. This press conference dedicated to the opening of 3 Centers of Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau, Comrat and Tiraspol in the framework of the project “Let All of Us Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture“, which was launched in December 2017 with the support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), funded by the European Union.

Speakers:

Andrei Borșevski, Project Director, President of the Institute for Democracy.

Subject of the speech: about the project, the significance of the project for the Republic of Moldova, goals and actions of the project. The launch of the sub-granting program.

Luiza Doroșenko, Project Coordinator in the Transnistrian region, President of the Media Center (Transnistria).

Subject of the speech: about the implementation of the project in Transnistria and specificity of the implementation of the anti-torture projects in Transnistria, situation and approach from Transnistria regarding “torture”. Approach directions of the sub-granting program.

Nonna Mihalcean, project coordinator in Chisinau, National Institute for Women of Moldova.

Subject of the speech: about the sub-granting project for NGOs from Republic of Moldova, services provided within the Center for legal, psychological and rehabilitation assistance for victims of torture.

(2) November 21, 2019, News Agency “INFO-PRIM NEO”. This press conference dedicated to the first year of the project “Let All of Us Say NO to Torture in Moldova: Civil Society against Torture“, which was launched in December 2017 with the support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), funded by the European Union.

This project is being implemented by the Institute for Democracy (Comrat) in partnership with the Media Center (Transnistria) and the National Institute for Women of Moldova (Chisinau).

Speakers:

Andrei Borșevski, Project Director, President of the Institute for Democracy.
Luiza Doroșenko, Project Coordinator in the Transnistrian region, President of the Media Center (Transnistria).

3 Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator in Chisinau, National Institute for Women of Moldova (Chisinau).

Varvara Solomitski, Jurist of the Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in the Transnistrian region.
Eughenia Cissa, Psychologist of the Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in the Comrat.

Press releases for visibility of the action and the EU funding

Annual project color magazine “Torture in Moldova: Anti-Torture Project”.

Broadcasts about project activities (for visibility of the action and the EU funding).

No	Name of the Broadcaster	Topic	Date
1.	Radio National Moldova 1	Presentation of the project, the donor, the Centers, and services provided by the specialists. The anti-torture network was presented; the workshops and the sub-grant program were discussed.	October 23, 2019
2.	Radio National Moldova 1	Presentation of the project, the donor, and the cases; we provided a description of the notion of torture. We also informed the public how to contact us and what services were available at the Centers.	November 2, 2019

Articles in Moldavian press about project activities (for visibility of the action and the EU funding).

Organise workshops for the administration and staff of prisons, detention centers, boarding school, psychiatric hospitals and policemen regarding the inadmissibility of torture and the need to improve the protection of individuals who provide information to the Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture.

Organise 11 workshops for the administration and staff of prisons, psychiatric hospitals in year 1 and 27 workshops for the administration and staff of prisons, psychiatric hospitals in year 2.

Examples of workshops:

Since late 2018, workshops for penitentiary, police, and psychiatric hospital staff in the Republic of Moldova continued. Workshops were held in different penitentiaries and different towns.

We would like to describe several the workshops held. For instance, on December 11, 2018, we held a workshop for the penitentiary institution staff in the Republic of Moldova, which was attended by sergeants.

Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, told the participants about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations.

After that, Alexandr Zubco, Head of the Department for Combating Torture of the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Moldova, conducted an exercise to familiarize the group with the topic. Using a tennis ball, the coach used the exercise titled My Name, My Work, and Things I Am Proud of: the participants introduced themselves, talked about their service, and mentioned what they were proud of.

To introduce the topic of the workshop, the Fist exercise took place: the participants working in pairs discovered the possibility of achieving the goal using only words and arguments without resorting to aggression. During the exercise, the essence of the phenomenon of “torture” was described, and the difference between torture and ill-treatment was demonstrated. Besides, relevant examples were discussed.

In addition, the participants learned about the rights of inmates and the significance of each prison officer. The Impulse exercise was conducted to show the importance of each employee in the penitentiary system and demonstrate what happens when one of them fails to fulfill their duties or breaches the law. The audience discussed the role and functions of a psychologist, a medical worker, and a social worker, who play a significant part in the reintegration of inmates. They mentioned that some of their colleagues were not ready for working in penitentiaries and exceeded their authorities, for instance, when using handcuffs. They were also interested in avoiding the use of aggressive handcuffing methods and protecting themselves and their lives in cases of emergency when inmates acted aggressively. The participants were shocked by the cases of torture that the coach discussed. Most of them mentioned that they had not known what torture was: they used to see no difference between torture and domestic violence.

At the end of the workshop, the participants filled in the questionnaires to assess the event.

During the workshop, the coach supported an informal style of working; the participants were open to discussions and training; in the end, they said they had not expected such interactivity, and thanked the coach, the organizers, and the donor.

On March 12, 2019, a workshop for the penitentiary institution staff in the Republic of Moldova took place. It was attended by prison guards.

To start the workshop, the coach conducted an exercise to familiarize the group with the topic and introduce the members to each other. Using a tennis ball, the coach used the exercise titled My Name, My Work, and Things I Am Proud of: the participants introduced themselves, talked about their service, and mentioned what they were proud of.

To introduce the topic of the workshop, a series of exercises were conducted to acquaint the participants of the possibility of achieving their goals without aggression, only by means of words and communication; they also were informed of the topic and essence of torture. The coach explained the notions of torture and ill-treatment.

He also spoke about the national and international anti-torture mechanisms.

After that, the Catch and Dodge exercise was held in order to describe the importance of each penitentiary system employee and their continuous training and professional development.

In the end of the session, the coach answered the participants’ questions issued the questionnaires for assessing the workshop.

The workshop was held in an active manner; the participants were open and expressed their opinions and wishes freely.

On March 27, 2019, a workshop for police officers at Floresti Police Inspectorate was organized.

The workshop was opened by Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, who told the participants about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations.

To start the workshop, the coach offered an exercise titled My Name, My Work, and Things I Am Proud of: the participants introduced themselves in turn, talked about their service, and listed the things they were proud of at their workplace. Most of them said they were proud of their families and work.

To introduce the topic of the workshop, the Fist exercise was used; during it, the participants worked in pairs and discovered the possibility of achieving their goals without aggression, by using words and peaceful communication.

At the end of the discussion, in connection with the exercise, the participants were divided into pairs and issued the cases to work upon for 20 minutes. After that, one representative from each group acquainted informed all those present of the results of their activities. During the discussion, a number of eventual situations were identified on the basis of the cases, which could be classified as involving ill-treatment or torture. The audience asked questions on correct actions in different situations, clarified what could be done if a detainee is drunk and/or aggressive, or behaves aggressively in the family, but could not be detained for 24 hours according to the legislation.

After active discussions, the coach A. Zubco informed the participants of the national and international mechanisms for preventing torture, explained how they worked, and emphasized their role and significance in the state. The participants were also informed of the measures stipulated by the legislation in relation to those who have used ill-treatment and torture or allowed to use them.

In conclusion, the coach conducted a mobile exercise to assess the workshop and the participants’ knowledge, and also issued the questionnaires to complete.

During the workshop, A. Zubco conducted such a type of activity as “discussion boards”; in addition, he successfully applied informal educational methods. As a result, the participants were open to discussion during the training process, even mentioning in the end of the workshop that they had not expected such interactivity, and thanked the coach and the donor for it.

The workshop was ended by questions from the participants regarding their rights (they asked when the government was supposed to issue their uniforms, stationery, and money for overtime work).

On March 29, 2019, an informational workshop was held for doctors and nurses of Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility. The workshop was attended by 25 nurses and other medical staff representatives. During the workshop, the project coordinator emphasized its importance and issued the distributive materials to each participant. The audience was also informed about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations.

The coach Alexandr Zubco started his presentation with the workshop objectives. The participants were informed about the law which stipulated penalties pursuant to the article related to torture. After the coach issued the handouts, the participants worked in groups and studied the articles of the law.

The workshop included case study, which resulted in a constructive discussion on the examples and conclusions. Among other things, the issue of the legitimacy of binding the beneficiaries in certain cases in order to calm them down was discussed. The coach explained that such measures were highly not recommended, since there were no requirements regarding such actions in the law.

The coach asked the participants to list several rights of people under state guardianship individually in their notebooks. The results of that activity were discussed.

On April 11, 2019, a workshop for 21 employees was held at the National Penitentiary Administration Training Center. The prison staff and the heads of the regime and surveillance service were informed about human rights, the approach to the category of torture and ill-treatment in the international and the national legislation, inmates’ rights, and the role of the staff. In addition, relevant practical recommendations were discussed.

The training workshop was opened by Project Coordinator Nonna Mihalcean who informed the audience about the project implemented and spoke about the donor and the implementing organizations.

The coach suggested a special exercise that allowed the participants to get acquainted with each other and made it possible to prepare them for further activities in an informal setting. During the exercise, all the participants introduced themselves and told the audience what they were proud of.

To introduce the audience to the general issue of the workshop, the coach conducted a “brainstorming” session on the phenomenon of torture, inviting the participants to suggest their associations related to that concept.

Subsequently, the participants shared their views on the legislation on prevention of and punishment for torture or inhuman treatment. The coach spoke about the national and international anti-torture mechanisms.

During the workshop, the Puzzle exercise was conducted: all the participants were asked to list consistent steps to file a report to the Ombudsman’s Office in case of a possible incident between the staff and the inmates (if there is danger of breaching the law on torture prevention). The exercise also included another task, i.e. examining a number of cases and specifying the examples where the phenomenon of torture or inhuman treatment was observed. The participants carefully analyzed all the examples and identified violations correctly in most cases.

During the workshop, Alexandr Zubco used such type of work as “discussion boards”. He demonstrated the successful and efficient use of informal learning methods. As a result, the participants showed open-mindedness during the discussion and the learning process as a whole, and in the end of the workshop, they mentioned that that they were pleasantly surprised by such interactivity, thanking the coach and the donor.

In order to demonstrate the importance of teamwork clearly and show the extent to which the result of the team work depended on each prison staff member, an exercise with a chair in a circle was conducted. After this exercise, a vivid discussion followed.

The workshop organizers also took the need for special time for questions from the audience to the coach into account.

To conclude the workshop, the coach issued the participants the questionnaires for completion and their certificates.

In the following months, a series of workshops aimed at promoting intolerance to the phenomenon of torture, raising awareness of the inadmissibility of torture, informing the participants of the criminal liability for torture, etc. was also held.

The workshops aroused great interest among the audience, their form contributed to the beneficiaries’ active involvement, and, according to the results of the questionnaire, they had an increasing understanding of the inadmissibility of torture and learned about the inevitable liability for using it.

Organise regional workshops “Inadmissibility of Torture in Police Custody” for regional policemen.

Organise regional workshops “They are Victims: Methods of Urgent Psychological Help to Victims of Torture” for regional policemen.

Organise 11 workshops “Tortures as the Violation of the Basic Human Rights” for law students from Moldavian universities (future police officers, prosecutors and judges)

Examples of workshops:

Within the project, the Institute for Democracy held a series of interactive workshops for law students of Moldovan universities (as future police officers, judges, and prosecutors) aimed at increasing their intolerance for torture.

On March 13, 2019, a workshop was held for law students at the International Free University of Moldova (ULIM, Chisinau City). The educational workshop was opened by Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, who told the participants about the project, the organizations implementing it, and the donor.

The coach informed the students of the topic and the agenda. Their expectations regarding the subsequent work were discussed. After that, an exercise for suggesting associations to the word “torture” (using the “brainstorming” technique) followed.

After that, an exercise using a tennis ball was suggested to prepare the team for further activities and help them get acquainted with each other. While doing the exercise titled My Name, My Future Work, and My Expectations from Work, everyone introduced themselves in turn, spoke about themselves, and mentioned what they personally expected from their future work.

To approach the topic of the workshop, the Fist exercise was suggested; it was performed in pairs. The participants discovered the possibility of achieving their goals without aggression, using assertive behavior. During the exercise, the topic and the essence of the phenomenon of torture were presented. The coach provided the definition of “torture” and “ill-treatment”, describing the elements of behavior punishable by law on the flipchart.

After that, the coach made a presentation on the prisons of Moldova (including photos and diagrams). A number of examples of situations where an action could be classified as torture or ill-treatment were discussed. In connection with a number of examples provided by the participants, the coach provided the references to the legislation and explained in which cases a certain action was interpreted as a violation and was punishable, and in which ones it was not punishable.

In addition, the audience learned about the rights of persons in custody and the importance of the work of each staff member within the system.

During the workshop, the issues related to the particularities of working in the system were discussed.

At the end of the session, the coach issued the questionnaires to be completed and the certificates to the participants.

During the training workshop, he kept working in an informal style. As a result, the audience was eager to take part in an open conversation. They sincerely thanked the workshop organizers for the effective session and using interactive teaching techniques.

On March 15, 2019, a workshop for 25 students of the Faculty of Law of A. Russo Balti State University of the Republic of Moldova was held.

It was held in an informal setting, and the teachers of the two groups also attended the event. The training workshop was opened by Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, who told the participants about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations.

To start the workshop, the coach conducted an exercise to prepare the group for further activities using the associative method: they had to suggest their associations with the word “torture”.

After that exercise, the Fist exercise was suggested in order to introduce the topic of the workshop. During it, the students worked in pairs and learned that it was possible to achieve a goal without aggression, by using words and other means of communication. During the exercise, the topic was presented, and the essence of the phenomenon of torture was demonstrated. The coach explained the definitions of torture and ill-treatment, describing the elements of behavior punishable by law on the flipchart.

Examples of actions classified as torture or ill-treatment were discussed. Based on a number of examples provided by the audience, the coach cited the references to the law explaining in which cases a certain action could be regarded as a violation and was punishable, and in which, it was not.

He also spoke about the national and international anti-torture mechanisms (the European Court of Human Rights, the Ombudsman’s Office, etc.). During the conversation, the students were interested in cases of torture and penalties for it. In addition, in this context, the most recent of such situations, as well as persons involved in them, were discussed.

The students were shown the photographs taken during the visits to 3 prisons and told about the conditions of detention of inmates.

The workshop provided time for questions from the audience to the coach and his answers. After that, the Questions and Answers exercise was held, which allowed the coach to inform the participants of the importance of each staff member within the system the students would soon become a part of, and the need for their constant professional development and further studies.

To conclude the session, the coach issued the questionnaires to complete and the certificates to the participants.

The audience liked the workshop and asked to provide information in the same form in the future.

On May 23, 2019, an educational workshop for the students of the Faculty of Law of A. Russo Balti State University of the Republic of Moldova was held.

It was opened by Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, who told the participants about the project, the implementing organizations, and the donor.

The coach organized a preliminary exercise using a tennis ball titled My Name, My Future Work, and My Expectations from Work. During it, everyone introduced themselves, spoke about themselves, and mentioned what they personally expected from their future work.

After the coach presented the topic and the agenda on the flipchart, the students’ expectations were discussed, and an exercise was suggested to present their associations with the word “torture”. Some students understood the essence of this phenomenon and, together with the coach, explained the difference between torture and inhuman treatment to the others.

To introduce the topic of the workshop, the Marker exercise was conducted: during it, the participants working in pairs saw the possibility of achieving their goals without aggression, using assertive behavior. An analogy between the marker as an object and human dignity was used, and the idea that it was easy to cross the line of humane attitude was expressed. During the exercise, the coach explained the definition of torture and ill-treatment and described the elements of behavior punishable by the law on the blackboard.

In addition, the participants learned about the rights of persons in custody and the importance of the activities of each staff member within the system. The coach also spoke about boarding school and mental hospital beneficiaries and their needs.

The participants were offered information on the national and international anti- torture mechanisms. The students asked questions about their future work, were interested in the actions to be taken if their colleague made a mistake, what kind of punishment was stipulated for torture and inhuman treatment, etc.

To conclude the session, the coach issued the questionnaires to complete and the certificates to the participants.

During the workshop, the coach was working in an informal style. Therefore, the participants were eager to communicate on the topic of the workshop and to take part in the learning process as a whole and were satisfied with the efficiency of the event.

The students thanked the coach and the donor and requested to conduct such workshops more often, as it would allow them to discuss the specificity of their future work and understand it better.

The workshops caused great interest among the participants; we observed an increase in their intolerance to the phenomenon of torture and their growing understanding of the inadmissibility of this phenomenon in the present-day world. This fact allows us to hope that, when they start working in the police, penitentiaries, and other institutions, they will not use torture in their work, understanding the inevitable liability for it, and also experiencing internal discomfort when facing this rudiment of the past in their work.

Organise 23 workshops “Legal Instruments against Torture” for inmates, mental asylum patients, and children from boarding houses to teach them legal methods of opposing torture.

Examples of workshops:

In 2019, the Institute for Democracy started a series of workshops on legal methods of combating torture for prison inmates, psychiatric hospital patients, and children in boarding schools. Let us consider some of them. For instance, on March 28, 2019, an informational workshop was held for the beneficiaries from Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility. It was attended by 25 beneficiaries. During the event, the project coordinator emphasized the importance of the ongoing project and issued the handouts. The project, the donor, and the implementing organizations were also presented.

The coach Alexandr Zubco made a presentation on the workshop objectives. The participants were told about the law protecting their rights from torture and inhuman treatment.

To start the workshop, the coach offered the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle: the participants said their names, said where they were born, where they resided, and how many years they had spent at the residential care facility.

The training workshop implies informing the audience of the notion of “torture” and the relevant legislation, revealing the difference between torture and ill-treatment. It is important to inform each beneficiary where they could address if they become victims of or witness to torture. The coordinator and the coach clearly demonstrated the folders containing a leaflet with the numbers of the assistance centers and explained how they could be contacted.

The participants were given the opportunity to ask questions on specific cases. They were very worried that some of them were not paid their disability pensions, and some did not always receive such necessary personal hygiene products as soap and shampoo or underwear.

An exercise titled The Most Pleasant Moment in My Life was also conducted, during which the beneficiaries could abstract from the residential care facility routine and experience positive emotions of the moment. The beneficiaries were glad to talk about such moments of their lives. After that, the coach asked them to share how they felt at the residential care facility, whether they liked the food, and how the nurses and the medical staff treated them. Most workshop participants replied they liked the residential care facility, and some emphasized they were paid little attention to, were not paid any pensions, the food was not always good, and the nurses were unfriendly.

After vivid discussions, A. Zubco informed the participants of the national and international anti-torture mechanisms, explained how they functioned, and highlighted their role and significance for the state. The participants were told the law provisions on the use or admission of ill-treatment and torture.

To conclude the session, the coach offered a mobile exercise to assess the workshop and the participants’ knowledge, and also issued the questionnaires to complete. However, it turned out that most beneficiaries could not read or write. That fact made the procedure of completing the questionnaires and registering in the lists of participants rather complicated. Another obstacle was the specificity of their state of health: some patients were unable to stay in one place for more than 15 minutes; they went out, came back, started arguing with the others, and shouted at each other during the workshop. Two participants could not talk and hardly answered the coach’s questions; a social worker was sitting next to them. At the end of the workshop, some beneficiaries asked us to visit them again, and the others wanted to show us how they lived.

On May 18, 2019, a workshop for the inmates of the second penitentiary in Lipcani was held. At the beginning of the training workshop, Project Coordinator Nonna Mihalcean told the audience about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations. Handouts were issued, and Chisinau Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture was presented. The coordinator told them how they could address that Center for assistance, wrote its address and phone number on the blackboard, and explained how its staff could help them.

The coach conducted the exercise titled My Name, My Homeland, and the Things I Am Proud of to prepare the group for further work using a tennis ball. During the exercise, everyone introduced themselves, told about themselves, said where they came from and where their resided at the moment, and also mentioned what they were proud of. Most participants listed their families and children as the only things they were proud of and cherished in their lives.

The coach wrote the topic and the agenda on the blackboard. The phenomenon of torture and inhuman treatment was presented using the associative method. Some inmates could not distinguish between such terms as “torture” and “domestic violence”. The coach provided some examples, explaining the difference between the two phenomena, and mentioned the relevant articles of the legislation. During that exercise, the subject matter and essence of the phenomenon of torture was presented. The participants were asked to provide real-life examples; on their basis, the coach explained which ones included the phenomenon of torture. The inmates asked questions regarding their safety (what could follow if they wrote a complaint regarding the staff, what could be one about poor healthcare and the prohibitions to receive parcels from home), the coach answered all the questions and gave some advice, and then distributed the materials that described the steps for filing complaints and the authorities that dealt with such issues.

At the end of the session, the coach issued the questionnaires to the workshop participants to complete.

The participants were open to discussions and the learning process in general, and thanked the coach and donor for holding a very useful event. They asked us to visit and inform on them various issues.

On May 25, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held. It was attended by the beneficiaries from the institution. During the event, the Project Coordinator emphasized the importance of the project and issued the handouts to each participant. The audience received brief information about the project, the implementing organizations, and the donor.

To get acquainted with the workshop participants, the coach Alexandr Zubco suggested doing the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle. Each participant of the event said their name, said where they had been born, where they resided, and how many years they had spent at the residential care facility.

The coach spoke about the objectives of the workshop and spoke about the law according to which the beneficiaries’ rights were protected from torture and inhuman treatment. In accordance with the objectives of the training workshop, he also explained the notion of torture and its difference from ill-treatment. Each participant was informed where to address in case of becoming a victim of or a witness to torture. The coordinator and the coach clearly demonstrated where the leaflet with the numbers of the assistance center was kept in the folder and explained how to contact them. In addition to that information, the exercise titled Tied in a Knot was suggested. During it, the participants were asked to stand up and grasp a cord, thus forming a circle. The coach explained that it was their community, and that they needed to use a rope to form a living square. While working, the beneficiaries divided into subgroups, assigned responsibilities, and clearly created a geometric figure under the guidance of one of the participants. After that, they were asked to form a triangle and a circle, and after the exercise, a discussion followed. The coach emphasized that it was important to work in a group, support and help each other whenever necessary, and torture could be prevented by calling or writing to the competent authorities.

The participants were also given an opportunity to ask specific questions. In addition, the exercise titled The Most Pleasant Moment in My Life was held: everyone was able to escape from everyday life at the residential care facility and re-experience pleasant sensations of a certain moment, drawing that moment to beautiful music. The beneficiaries were glad to talk about these moments of their lives. After that, the coach asked them to tell him how they felt at the residential care facility, whether they liked the food, and how the nurses and medical staff treated them. Most of them replied they liked the residential care facility, yet there were some who complained that the food was not always good, they were not paid their pensions, they were paid little attention to, and the nurses were unfriendly. Vivid discussions followed.

Then the coach offered the workshop participants some information on the national and international mechanisms for torture prevention, explained how they worked, and emphasized how important they were for the state. The participants were also told about the sanctions for ill-treatment and torture or permitting it.

At the end of the workshop, the coach A. Zubco asked the participants to do a mobile exercise to assess the workshop and their knowledge, and issued the questionnaires to fill in. However, further activities were hindered by the fact that most of the audience could not read or write.

When saying goodbye, some of the beneficiaries asked us to visit them again, and some of them were eager to show us how they lived.

On May 26, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held. Having told about the project and the implementing organizations, as well as the donor, the Project Coordinator emphasized its importance and issued handouts to each participant.

Using the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle, the coach achieved the goal of getting to know the participants, who told their names during the activity and mentioned what they liked to do.

The coordinator and the coach clearly demonstrated where the leaflet with the numbers of the assistance center was kept in the folder, spoke about their services, and explained how they could be contacted.

Using the associative method, the coach told the audience about the phenomenon of torture and inhuman treatment.

The exercise titled Tied in a Knot followed: those present were asked to stand up and grab the cord, forming a circle. The coach explained that it represented their community, and that they needed to use the cord to form a living square. The participants divided into subgroups, distributed their responsibilities, and created a clear geometric figure under the direction of one of the members. After that, they were asked to form a triangle and another circle, which was done. After the exercise, a discussion took place. The coach emphasized how important it was to be able to work in a group, support and help each other whenever necessary, and prevent torture (by calling or writing to the competent authorities).

The participants were allowed to ask questions in relation to specific cases. In addition, the exercise titled The Most Pleasant Moment in My Life was conducted to beautiful music. The beneficiaries were very pleased to speak about such moments from their lives. After that, they were asked to tell how they felt at the residential care facility, what the food was like there, and how the nurses and medical staff treated them. Most of the answers were positive, but some of them mentioned that the beneficiaries were paid little attention to, were not paid any pensions, the food was not always of good quality, and the nurses were unfriendly. After that, active discussions started.

To continue the session, the coach A. Zubco informed the participants of the national and international anti-torture mechanisms, explained the principles of their functioning and their role in the state, and listed the penalties stipulated by the legislation for someone who has used ill-treatment and torture or permitted their use.

At the end of the workshop, the coach handed issued questionnaires to complete, but it caused difficulties because most of the audience could not read or write.

At the end, the beneficiaries asked us to visit them again, thanked us for tea and coffee, and invited us to come to them next time and bring some ice cream.

On May 27, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held. During the workshop, the Project Coordinator briefly talked about it and issued handouts (folders, calendars, leaflets, pens, and notepads) to each participant.

To start of the workshop, the coach and the coordinator invited the participants to get acquainted using the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle, during which everyone announced their names and spoke a little about themselves.

The coordinator and the coach clearly demonstrated where the leaflet with the numbers of the assistance center was kept in the folder, and explained how they could be contacted. That information was supplemented by the exercise titled Tied in a Knot, during which all the participants were asked to grasp the cord and form a circle. The coach explained that it was their community, asking them to make other geometric shapes, such as a square and a triangle.

The beneficiaries, who divided into groups, managed to do this under the guidance of one of the members. During the discussion following the exercise, the coach emphasized the importance of the ability to work in a group, help the others whenever necessary, and prevent torture by calling or writing to the competent authorities.

The group was invited to share their experiences and work in teams. The coach suggested building pyramids from plastic glasses and presenting such works. In the end, the coach organized a discussion and again emphasized how important it was to support each other and to prevent torture from appearing in their own lives.

The coach A. Zubco told the participants about the national and international torture prevention mechanisms, and explained the way they worked and the role they played. He provided information about the liability for those who have committed torture and ill-treatment or who have permitted its use.

Together with the coach and the coordinator, the participants drew pleasant moments from their lives and demonstrated their works. The coach explained that they needed to remember the good things, but without forgetting their rights and keep protecting them.

To assess the workshop and the participants’ knowledge, he issued questionnaires to complete, but it turned out that most beneficiaries could not read or write, which made filing in the blanks a complicated task. At the end of the event, some asked him to visit them again expressing their gratitude for the workshop.

On May 28, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Balti Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held. The workshop was attended by over 20 beneficiaries from the institution.

During the workshop, the Project Coordinator spoke about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations, emphasized the importance of this project, and issued the handouts to each participant.

The coach Alexandr Zubco made a presentation on the workshop objectives. The participants were informed of the law according to which their rights were protected from torture and inhuman treatment, as well as the national and international anti-torture mechanisms, followed by an explanation of their functioning and role. The participants were provided an explanation of the sanctions stipulated by the law for ill-treatment and torture.

To start the workshop, the coach invited the participants to get acquainted using the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle, during which everyone announced their names and said where they had been born. After the acquaintance, the coach suggested the exercise titled Tied in a Knot, during which they had to take the cord making a circle. The coach explained that it was their community and asked to make a square and a triangle, which they did under the reasonable guidance of one of the participants. The coach emphasized the importance of working in a group, supporting and helping each other whenever necessary, and preventing torture by calling or writing to the competent authorities.

After that, the participants asked questions on specific cases. Then, the exercise titled The Most Pleasant Moment in My Life took place to the beautiful music. The beneficiaries were very pleased to discuss such moments from their lives.

To end the session, the coach suggested a mobile exercise to assess the workshop and the participants’ knowledge, and issued the questionnaires to complete, but most of the audience could not read or write, and filling in the blanks was difficult.

On June 13, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Badiceni Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held. The workshop was attended by the beneficiaries from the institution; its director introduced the coordinator and the coach and wished the participants a useful and pleasant time. To start the workshop, the Project Coordinator emphasized its importance and provided handouts to each participant. The training workshop included providing information of the notion of “torture”, the law regulating it, and the difference between torture and ill-treatment. Based on the above, the coordinator and the coach showed where the folders containing the information with the phone numbers of assistance centers, and explained how to contact them. In addition, the participants were briefly told about the project, the donor, and the implementing organizations, which were presented on the banner and in the folders, as well as the objectives of the workshop. The beneficiaries were informed of the legislation protecting their rights.

Using the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle, the participants introduced themselves. After that, to improve knowledge and understand how to help each other in difficult situations, the exercise titled Tied in a Knot took place: the participants created various living geometric shapes using the cord they held.

The coach explained that it was their community and that they had to realize how important it was to be able to support and help each other whenever necessary, and prevent torture by using a call or letter to the relevant authorities.

After the exercise titled The Most Pleasant Moment in My Life, when the participants willingly described their memories to beautiful music, the coach asked them to tell him how they felt at the residential care facility. Most of the answers were positive, but some beneficiaries noted that they were paid little attention to, that they wanted to go home to their children and relatives, the food was not always good, and the nurses are unfriendly.

To conclude the session, A. Zubco offered a mobile exercise to assess the workshop and the participants’ knowledge, issuing the questionnaires to fill in. However, it was difficult due to the fact that the residential care facility beneficiaries were unable to write or read. It made their life and the process of asking other people for assistance very complicated. Such workshops are useful because these people get some explanations in a clear and easily accessible manner, and they are told about the assistance methods they can use. At the end, the workshop participants asked to us to visit them again; they were very glad that we talked to them on this topic and conveyed some important ideas.

On August 22, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of Badiceni Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility was held.

It was the second workshop at that institution, and the beneficiaries eagerly took part in it, as many of them had previously asked their colleagues who had participated in the first session about it. Nonna Mihalcean presented the project, emphasized its importance, and spoke about the implementing organizations and the donor.

Nonna Mihalcean invited the participants to get acquainted using the exercise titled The Ball in a Circle: everyone said their names, said where they had been born, where they resided, and what they liked to do.

The training workshop involved explaining the notion of “torture”, providing some information on the legislation on combating this phenomenon, identifying the differences between torture and ill-treatment, and providing the information on where to address if one becomes a victim of or a witness to torture. The coach Alexandr Zubco made a presentation on the objectives of the workshop. The participants were informed of the law according to which their rights were protected from torture and inhuman treatment. To improve the knowledge and understand how to help each other in difficult situations, the exercise titled Tied in a Knot was held: everyone was asked to stand up and grasp the cord, forming a circle. The coach explained that it was their community and that they needed to use a rope to form a living square, and then, a triangle. It was done under the direction of one of the beneficiaries. The exercise ended with a discussion. The coach noted how important it was to work in a group, help and support each other if necessary, and prevent torture by calling or writing to the competent authorities.

The following exercise Draw a Beautiful Moment from Your Life which was offered later was performed to beautiful music. The beneficiaries eagerly talked about such moments and demonstrated them clearly in their drawings. After that, the coach asked them to say how they felt at the residential care facility.

Most beneficiaries responded that they liked it; nevertheless, some mentioned a lack of attention they were paid to, admitted that they wanted to go home, to their relatives, and also complained that the food was not always good and, moreover, it was sometimes stolen.

Not all the residents of such centers can read and write, but our workshops are useful because they explain the subject to the beneficiaries in an easily comprehensible manner and explain the methods of assistance. In the end, the participants asked us to come to them again and were very glad that we talked to them and shared those ideas.

On August 24, 2019, a training workshop for inmates Penitentiary Institution No 6 in Soroca was held. Opening it, Nonna Mihalcean, Project Coordinator, told the participants about the essence of the project and its donor, as well as about the organizations implementing it. She informed them how the centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture and the specialists working there could be contacted. Handouts were distributed, and the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims Torture operating in Chisinau was presented.

During the workshop, the coach A. Zubco and the coordinator were left alone with a group of the inmates to create an atmosphere favorable for communication.

To prepare the group for further work, the coach conducted an exercise using a tennis ball. During the exercise titled My Name, My Homeland, and Things I Am Proud of everyone introduced themselves in turn, told about themselves, where they were from, and where their homes were at the moment, and also said what they were proud of. Most of them mentioned their families and children as their pride (almost all inmates respond in this way). They also said that they did not trust the state, because all those attending the workshop were not guilty, while the prosecutors and the judges were corrupt.

To introduce the topic, the coach announced an exercise using the associative method based on the word “torture”; since the participants were long-term inmates, they named all the differences without any problems and described the phenomenon. The coach only needed to explain the definitions of “torture” and “ill-treatment”, listing the elements punishable by law and new amendments to the legislation.

Upon request of the participants who had prepared the questions, part of the workshop was dedicated to the coach’s answers in an open circle to each separate case. Some questions were repeated, and the participants listened attentively and took notes what could be done in different situations. The audience was asked to provide real-life examples of torture, on the basis of which the coach explained the steps for subsequent actions, including, for instance, filing a complaint to the prosecutor’s office, the Ombudsman’s Office, or the Center for Legal, Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture in Chisinau. He also mentioned the differences between those institutions and indicated the objectives of each of them.

Zubco told the audience about the national and international torture prevention mechanisms (the European Court of Human Rights, the Ombudsman’s Office). To complete the session, he gave the participants the questionnaires to fill in.

The participants were very open-minded during the conversation and the learning process; they even noted at the end that they had not expected such an interactive approach. They thanked the coach and the donor for interesting activities, as well as for being left unattended during the workshop, and, as a result, they were able to ask questions without fear for their lives. They asked us to keep visiting them and inform them on various topics; they also asked us for books and legal magazines.

On September 17, 2019, an informational workshop for beneficiaries of the Temporary Accommodation Center for Persons with Disabilities in Brinzeni (Edinet District) was held.

Starting the workshop, Nonna Mihalcean issued the handouts to each participant and introduced the donor, the implementing organizations, and the coach. She also spoke about the three centers of legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture in Tiraspol, Comrat, and Chisinau.

During the training workshop, the participants learned about the differences between torture and inhuman treatment, and also received information on where a victim of a witness to torture could address. The coordinator and the coach clearly demonstrated to those present where the information with the phone numbers of assistance centers was stored in the folders with handouts. The coach noted how important it was to work in a group, support and help each other if necessary, and prevent torture by calling or writing to the competent authorities.

Alexandr Zubco made a presentation on the workshop objectives. The participants were informed of the law according to which their rights were protected from torture and inhuman treatment. They were offered such exercises as The Ball in a Circle, Tied in a Knot, and Drawing a Wonderful Moment from Your Life, which were fulfilled with pleasure by the beneficiaries.

At the end of the workshop, the participants thanked us for interesting activities and asked us to visit them again. They were very glad that we talked to them and provided such important information.

It should be noted that many workshops participants have became beneficiaries of our centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture.

The audience’s great interest in the workshops was due to their active form, as well as due to the fact that the issues discussed were of practical importance to the participants themselves. At the end of the session, they sincerely thanked the organizers and the donor for the events.

The workshops for this category of citizens have continued since October.

The Centers are located at the following addresses: 71 Bucuresti Street, Chisinau (tel. 067203040); 21/3 Tretiacov Street, Comrat (tel. 078899110); 12/12 Shevchenko Street, Tiraspol (tel. 077973007).

During the second year of the project, 918 beneficiaries have addressed our 3 Centers for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture (victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment – 284). 546 legal consultations and 764 psychological counseling sessions have been held. The 3 Centers has had 531 phone calls and 29 letters.

Services offered by the Centers of Psychological and rehabilitation Assistance to victims of torture:

1) primary psychological assistance to victims of torture;

2) long-term psychological assistance to victims of torture;

3) psychological assessment of personality and testing in order to identify options for providing psychological assistance to victims of torture;

4) assistance (including confidential conversations) for restoring psychological and emotional state;

5) improving relationships with family members and friends, and restoring trust in other people;

6) support for developing self-determination and choice of occupation;

7) rehabilitation assistance to the victim, etc. (depending on the psychological state of the victim).

Since April 2018, three centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture started operating in Moldova (in Chisinau, Comrat, and Tiraspol).

The main objectives of the centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture are offering direct free legal and psychological assistance to victims of torture and their social rehabilitation.

During the legal assistance, beneficiaries are offered individual legal advice, as well as recommendations on subsequent actions for appealing against the actions of officials and their further prosecution, and applications, appeals to authorities, etc. are drafted. Legal assistance allows victims of torture to efficiently protect their rights and provides an opportunity to prevent torture against the victim in the future.

Psychological support consists in assisting beneficiaries who have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment and contacted the Center by quickly responding to the victim’s statement. The psychologist suggests recommendations for rehabilitation and re-socialization of the beneficiary by means of interviews, significant clarifications, preliminary psychological testing of the victim, as well as other actions within the framework of individual psychological counseling.

Let us briefly describe a few examples of assistance provided. For instance, in late 2018, Evghenia P. informed the staff of our Center in Chisinau about the problems of her friend who had been hospitalized to the psychiatric institution in Codru Town and suffered from inhuman treatment. The applicant stated that her friend Elena (the name is changed) had attempted suicide, and, as a result she had been admitted to the psychiatric facility in Codru Town. She had been tied up there and was not allowed to see her relatives. She was discharged by that moment, but due to inhuman treatment, the victim needed to consult a psychologist and undergo psychological rehabilitation.

According to the applicant, the victim had signs of binding on her wrists; after her discharge from the psychiatric institution in Codru, she had started feeling apathetic. She was indifferent, unwilling to live, and afraid to communicate with her friend and the world outside.

The victim agreed to start rehabilitation work with the psychologist. During the first meetings, the psychologist worked at beneficiary’s acceptance of the situations by using the Sand Therapy technique. At the second stage, the psychologist used projective methods of work with Elena. At the third stage of the psychologist’s work, the session was attended by both the victim and her friend, so that Elena could objectively assess what was happening to her, improve communication with her friend and relatives, outline her plans for the future, and find a goal to pursue. It was aimed at stabilizing the victim’s emotional background and restoring her self-confidence.

The lawyer explained it was possible to file a complaint with allegations of ill-treatment to the prosecutor’s office, but the victim refused to.

Elena gradually restored communication with her friend and reconsidered the meaning of her life. By the end of her rehabilitation, she is supposed to objectively assess what is happening, restore communication with her relatives, stabilize her emotional background, and regain her self-confidence.

The victim took an actively part in her own psychological rehabilitation: initially, she was reluctant to come to the sessions, and later, seeing an improvement in her emotional state, she began to come often, made her own suggestions, and shared her opinion. Her open-mindedness helped the psychologist in her rehabilitation.

The beneficiary (mother) whose son was in a penitentiary institution addressed our Center for free legal, psychological and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture in Comrat. After serving a sentence of 13 years, the beneficiary’s son had filed a petition on conditional release to the prison commission. The commission had approved the petition, and the young man had redirected it to court. Several months had passed, but no reply followed. The beneficiary suspected that her son was being kept in prison deliberately, as he was an activist who took part in sports and intellectual competitions where he had won several awards. Thus, it was an illegal detention in the penitentiary. It should be noted that Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the RM regards deprivation of liberty without legal basis, among other things, as inhuman treatment.

In this regard, the beneficiary was offered legal assistance: a recommendation to re-submit the petition from the penitentiary institution to the court requesting to clarify the reasons for the delay in replying to the petition filed before. That work resulted in a satisfactory response from the court, according to which the young man received parole and currently is at home. In addition, the beneficiary also received repeated psychological assistance, and his degree of anxiety was reduced, and the emotional state was stabilized.

On April 1, 2019, a resident of Chisinau contacted our Center for assistance; she had heard about our center in a radio broadcast.

The woman sent a complaint to the Center claiming she, a disabled person of group II, had been subject to torture and inhuman treatment by a police officer. According to her, on March 15, 2019, upon request of the staff of the Department of Social Protection of Low-Income Families, Pensioners, and Veterans, without presenting any reason for the search or introducing himself, the police officer took her to the police station, where she was detained for several hours, standing in a dark corridor, having nowhere to sit down, in spite of her disability. The police officer searched the woman without showing any search warrant and verbally humiliated her.

Upon the beneficiary’s request, the lawyer took a series of actions to inform the victim of her rights. A complaint on behalf of the victim was filed to the Prosecutor’s Office in Chisinau Municipality. She was also offered psychological counseling.

After the complaint was registered, the victim was summoned to provide testimony in a criminal case. Currently, a criminal case regarding the actions of the police officer has been initiated. She is supervised by the lawyer and the psychologist.

Another victim committed an economic crime related to real estate transactions in Transnistria, his business was closed with the complete confiscation of property, and his accounts were arrested and seized. The beneficiary was arrested and sent to the temporary detention center in 2018, and then transferred to Penitentiary Institution No 2 in Tiraspol. In the temporary detention facility, he was subjected to threats, psychological pressure, and torture to make him provide false testimony; he also suffered from beating, slander, and humiliation. In Penitentiary Institution No 2 in Tiraspol, this person was faced with insults, humiliating attitude from the staff and the cellmates, and beatings.

It resulted in health problems: hypertension, impaired vision, headaches, as well as depression and problems with socialization.

On December 5, 2018, after his release, the victim addressed our organization upon the recommendation of a priest from one of the Orthodox churches of Tiraspol: he needed psychological and socialization assistance.

The beneficiary refused from legal assistance.

A confessional conversation (involving a detailed account of events) was held with the victim as a method of alleviating vulnerability; he also did test drawing, and it was analyzed. Practical recommendations on the methods of socialization and communication with the team at his workplace of work were offered to the beneficiary. He was actively involved in working with the psychologist, attentively following the recommendations. Working with the psychologist was based on mutual respect, and both parties listened to each other. Therefore, the victim actively helped his own psychological rehabilitation.

Psychological rehabilitation of the victim took place; he was helped with psychological adaptation in society and socialization in the team at his workplace.

The beneficiary started gradually returning to his regular mental state. He became more self-confident, got a job as a sacristan in a church, and enrolled to the correspondence courses at a religious school in Ukraine, i.e. the victim’s psychological rehabilitation was successful.

On June 18, 2019, the media published information about three young people of different sexual orientation subject to cruel treatment threats, illegal searches, etc. by the police in Balti. GenderDoc-M NGO reported in an article that these facts had actually taken place.

The staff of our Center, having studied the materials, initiated an investigation. During it, the lawyer of the Center learned the data of the alleged victims from GenderDoc-M. He wrote a request to Balti Police Inspectorate to initiate an internal investigation into the allegation of ill-treatment involving the elements of sexual discrimination against adolescents in Balti. Balti Police Inspectorate replied that no complaints from the victims had been received.

The lawyer contacted the beneficiaries, found out the details of the events, and learned how the police officers had humiliated the LGBD community representatives. The lawyer informed the beneficiaries of the possibilities of providing legal assistance and helped them draft a complaint to the prosecutor’s office. A criminal case was initiated. The lawyer and the psychologist assisted the beneficiaries. It is being currently investigated. The beneficiaries were glad to learn about the actions of the representatives of the Center and the fact that a criminal case was initiated with their assistance. The investigation is monitored by the lawyer.

On August 12, 2019, a mother came to the Center with her last hope and a page from Argumenty i Fakty newspaper in her hand where the addresses of the centers were published. With tears in her eyes, the woman asked us for help and intervention.

The Center coordinator listened to her attentively and registered her complaint, in which the mother told that her son had been injured by negligence in his youth and subsequently received a disability group. For over 30 years, he had been a regular patient of the psychiatric clinic in Codru Town.

In the 1990s, the hospital attendants had beaten her son, who had urgently had an operation to save his life. She had forgiven those hospital attendants, taken her complaint back, and they had been fired. She had not worried about her son ever since, as he had been well treated, but his behavior had changed last year, and she suspected that her son was being abused or treated improperly. After treatment in the clinic, her son felt worse, he was aggressive and uncontrollable, and she was afraid for her life and for the life of her son.

The psychologist was working with the woman for a month, in the office and on the phone, and consulted both her and her son; as a result of the analysis of the mother’s situation, a list of actions was prepared to improve the relationship between her and her son.

The lawyer explained the steps of filing a complaint to the prosecutor’s office to the mother, and also suggested clarifying the situation with her son by sending an official request to the psychiatric clinic in Codru on behalf of the Center. The woman agreed that the Center could send a request, and gave her consent to the following actions. As a result, a reply was received from the specified clinic saying that their beneficiary had been registered at the clinic for a long time and that the treatment he had was prescribed by the doctor; it was emphasized that transferring the patient to another institution would harm him, but they considered the Center’s request and organized an internal investigation.

Two weeks later, the mother came to the Center and thanked us for assistance. She said that her son was in a good mood, and he was treated better. The mother refused to follow the lawyer’s suggestion to file a complaint to the prosecutor’s office, saying it was no longer necessary.

A woman addressed our Center saying that her son was in a penitentiary institution, where he suffered from psychological and severe physical violence from the staff of the institution. It was due to the fact that he had sent a complaint regarding their actions to the prosecutor’s office. The Center’s employees provided legal assistance in filing a complaint to Leova Prosecutor’s Office to bring to justice those involved in breaching the beneficiary’s rights. Currently, the prosecutor’s office is verifying the facts related to the above complaint. The fact that the beneficiary was tortured has already been confirmed.

On December 5, 2018, upon the recommendation of the priest of the Orthodox temple in Tiraspol, a victim addressed us with a request to provide psychological assistance for his socialization. In 2018, this person used to take and distribute drugs in Transnistria. He had been detained by a special rapid-deployment detachment during a raid, beaten, and arrested. He had been subjected to psychological and physical torture during interrogations.

The victim had been placed in a temporary detention facility, where he had been subjected to interrogations with beatings and psychological and physical torture in order to force him to take all the blame upon himself. In Penitentiary Institution No 2, the victim had been insulted, beaten, and bullied.

The person started suffering from neurological psychoses, psychological depression, tension, and nervous breakdowns.

During our work with the beneficiary, a therapeutic conversation was held to provide psychological support, and psychological information and practical assistance in socialization were offered.

He was in a depressed psychological state, needed psychological counseling to adapt in society, and received it. Due to his work with the psychologist, he overcame the psychological crisis.

Having received support and counseling from the psychologist, the beneficiary became more self-confident, started feeling better in society, underwent psychological rehabilitation, ceased to be afraid of people, and began searching for a job.

A beneficiary has contacted our Center saying he was subjected to ill-treatment by the representatives of the authorities. One day, while he was grazing sheep, the beneficiary’s dog ran away. He began looking for it. Having walked a short distance, he ran into a company of picnickers and asked them if they had seen a dog running by. In response, they yelled that he had interfered with their recreation and started brutally beating him. Among those who subjected him to physical and psychological violence, the beneficiary recognized the mayor and the local police officer from the village he resided in. The victim managed to run away taking advantage of the moment when the offenders eased off their attack.

The beneficiary has been offered legal assistance. He has been recommended to file a complaint to Cahul Prosecutor’s Office to bring to justice the persons involved in the above actions. It has also been strongly recommended that the victim take a referral to have a forensic examination in order to register the injuries resulting from the attack and assess the severity of his injuries.

Currently, this work has resulted in the prosecution of one of the participants of the offense (the local police officer). The beneficiary has also received psychological assistance, his anxiety has been reduced, and his emotional state has stabilized. Besides, he has had some exercises to increase his self-esteem.

A wide resonance was caused by the detention of Moldovan citizens in Bulgaria in May 2019. On May 19, 2019, a group of residents of the Republic of Moldova traveling from Turkey to Moldova were detained by the law enforcement agencies in the territory of Bulgaria. After crossing the border between Turkey and Bulgaria, the vehicles transporting 8 citizens of the Republic of Moldova were detained; after that, they were transported to the city of Lyubimets (Haskovo Province). Only three days later, the detained citizens had a chance to get in touch with their relatives and reported that they were kept almost without any food, no reason for their detention was explained, they were given a phone only once a day for 15 minutes, their confinement conditions were unbearable, and they had no access to personal hygiene products.

After sending the message that they were detained, the citizens could not be contacted for several days. It was known that the detainees were residents of the villages of Cioc-Maidan, Tomai, Avdarma, Copceac, Gaidar, Albota de Sus, and Bascalia.

The information regarding the detention of Moldovan citizens was officially confirmed by the Embassy of Moldova in Bulgaria. It was explained that those persons were detained as suspected of having committed a serious crime in Turkey.

The staff of our Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture immediately contacted the Department of External Affairs of the ATU of Gagauzia to find out the names and addresses of the citizens in the above situation and offered their cooperation. The head of the Department of External Affairs of the ATU of Gagauzia V. Vlah provided us with the list of citizens detained in Bulgaria. He explained that they had contacted the Embassy of Moldova in Bulgaria and that the Moldovan citizens would be sent back to Turkey for interrogation and testimony over the coming days. After that, the police would find out who in fact was had breached the law, and those not involved in the crime would be sent back home.

The Center’s employees contacted the relatives of the detained persons in order to provide legal assistance in protecting and restoring their relatives’ breached rights, as well as psychological counseling to the relatives themselves.

During the conversation with the relatives of the persons detained in Bulgaria, it turned out that their family members were detained and kept in cruel, inhuman conditions, no reason for their detention was explained, they were not provided any interpreters, lacked basic hygiene products, slept on the concrete floor, and had no access to normal water. For 5 days, men and women were kept in one cell, the lights were on around the clock, and they had to wash with cold water.

On behalf of the organization, a letter of appeal was sent to the Ombudsman of Bulgaria Maya Manolova to protect the breached rights of the citizens of Moldova detained in Bulgaria. We got a reply from Hristo Atanasov, a member of the team of the Bulgarian National Torture Prevention Authority. According to him, after receiving our letter, a checkup was conducted in Haskovo; he mentions that the citizens in question had no problems with the Bulgarian authorities, yet there were certain issues with the Embassy of Moldova in Sofia, since the embassy was not intended to support them after the first conversation with the Bulgarian authorities.

Our appeal to the Ombudsman of Bulgaria attracted attention of the authorities of this country to our citizens’ situation. The Bulgarian police realized that the fate of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova was being monitored not only in our country, but also by the Ombudsman’s Office of Bulgaria, as well as by the staff of the Bulgarian National Torture Prevention Authority. That fact secured and improved their situation in Bulgaria.

After the end of the detention term of 72 hours, the Moldovan citizens’ preliminary arrest as a preventive measure was prolonged. After that, they were transported to Turkey, to the prison of Eskişehir, where they were interrogated and acquitted after the trial. However, though the citizens bought tickets home for their own money, they could not travel to the Republic of Moldova: at the Turkish airport, they were informed that their names were on the Interpol’s lists. The acquitted citizens were transported to the migration service, where they stayed at the temporary facility and were deprived of their freedom of movement for another two weeks. Two weeks later, the beneficiaries purchased tickets at their own expense again and arrived in the Republic of Moldova on July 22, 2019. However, they got an unreasonable deportation for an indefinite term in Turkey. The acquitted citizens also received a 5-year prohibition to entry to Bulgaria.

The beneficiaries’ relatives told them about our Center, which these persons subsequently visited and where they obtained legal and psychological assistance. A letter of appeal requesting assistance in resolving issues of violation of the rights of our citizens in Turkey and Bulgaria was sent to I. Vlah, the Bashkan of the ATU of Gagauzia. Letters of appeal were also sent to the Embassy of the RM in Bulgaria, the Embassy of the RM in Turkey, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Moldova in Turkey regarding assistance in resolving the issue of annulling the prohibition to entry to Bulgaria. Statements on behalf of the beneficiaries were also sent to the Embassy of Turkey in the Republic of Moldova with a detailed explanation of what had happened to them during their detention in order to restore the breached rights and annul the deportation order.

The Center’s psychologist organized the steps to rehabilitate the beneficiaries after their emotional trauma. Their emotional state was restored during both individual counseling and group work.

Exercises were conducted to restore their emotional state and overcome fear, shame, and resentment.

The psychological assistance provided has been very useful for the beneficiaries, and helps improving their emotional state.

In addition to consulting victims of torture directly at the Center itself, the Center’s employees attend court hearings if necessary and visit beneficiaries directly in prisons.

For instance, on October 23, 2019, the Center’s lawyer and other staff of the Institute for Democracy visited one of our Center’s beneficiaries in Penitentiary No 13 in Chisinau, after receiving written permission from the National Penitentiary Administration of the RM.

Step-by-step the methodology used for the in-take and identification of victims to be assisted: To obtain an objective idea of the beneficiary’s psychological state, a number of standard assessment techniques are applied: standardized psychological tests, a version of the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Anxiety as a State and Personality Trait Rating Questionnaire (it was revealed that victims often suffer from pronounced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder related to experienced traumatic events).

Methodology of identifying victims of torture: (1) Appeal to the organization regarding ill-treatment/torture from an alleged victim of torture/a family member of a victim of torture (in person or by phone or mail); (2) Information of the circumstances/details of the appellant’s becoming a victim of torture; (3) Filling in a questionnaire on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; (4) Providing or seeking evidence of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Therefore, first of all, during the initial meeting with an alleged victim, a conversation (interview) takes place in order to clarify all the details of the use of torture (a conversation with the psychologist’s assistance), and a questionnaire about the use of torture is filled in. The beneficiary is explained their rights and opportunities within the framework of the assistance offered. Then the beneficiary writes a statement and/or signs it. After that, the evidence basis is examined (passport, medical certificates, complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office/police) and their copies are attached to the victim’s dossier.

We also monitor public trials to identify victims. The lawyer identifies relatives of potential victims of torture in court, informs them about our work if necessary, and distributes booklets and the contact phone number (in a safe environment, not during the court session).

The partnership agreement with the Ombudsman’s Office is important for identifying victims (the lawyer consults relatives and/or applicants together with the Ombudsman’s Office staff). Besides, the Ombudsman’s Office sends a victim of torture to us for offering further professional support, since the Ombudsman’s Office does not provide any psychological assistance to victims.

Cooperation with the media plays an important role in identifying victims of torture (we conduct information campaigns on a regular basis, including TV and radio programs, and make announcements about our work). Partnerships with other NGOs are important for identifying victims, too (regional NGOs often refer victims of torture to us). We have also founded an anti-torture network of regional NGOs (20 organizations), and they refer victims of torture to us, identifying them in remote areas.

Keeping in touch with journalists and local authorities is important for identifying victims of torture (often people turn to journalists or the mayor’s office for help, and journalists and the local mayor’s office staff who have our contact data redirect the victims to us). For instance, we have a cooperation agreement with the regional media, the mayor of Comrat (the capital of Gagauzia), etc.

To identify victims of torture, we monitor social networks and the media (victims of torture or their relatives often publish information in social networks in order to draw attention to their problem and solve it. By contacting them, we identify and help victims of torture). In addition, media often publishes reports on ill-treatment incidents, and it helps us identify victims of torture.

Psychologist of Centers of Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture will assist the victims in social adaptation and rehabilitation. The psychologist will visit the victims of torture at home if necessary in order to communicate with them in the atmosphere of trust, in a place a victim finds comfortable. Services offered by the Centers of Psychological and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture: 1) primary psychological assistance to victims of torture; 2) long-term psychological assistance to victims of torture; 3) psychological assessment of personality and testing in order to identify options for providing psychological assistance to victims of torture; 4) assistance (including confidential conversations) for restoring psychological and emotional state; 5) improving relationships with family members and friends, and restoring trust in other people; 6) support for developing self-determination; 7) rehabilitation assistance to the victim, etc. (depending on the psychological state of the victim). The basic objective of these centers is convincing the victims not to withdraw and talk to us about the problem they have been faced with. A part of this inner pain disappears during frank conversations, and the person starts feeling much easier. Centers can save many lives, as even many victims feel isolated, and they become angry and distrustful. The sufferings they had to endure have resulted in serious damage to their health and socialization, and are often life-threatening. The victims fall behind in their development; they suffer from various physical and psycho-emotional disorders. Our main task will be convincing the victim not to become isolated, and talk to us about her problem. A part of the inner pain seems to leave during a frank conversation and the person starts feeling much easier. Therefore, providing psychological support will be very useful for victims of torture.

Implementation stage: fully implemented. Within the anti-torture information campaign, anti-torture broadcasts have been organized, including those describing the project itself, our activities, and the way we help residents in case of torture. Radio broadcasts have taken place at several national radio stations: Radio Moldova National Channel, Noroc Radio, Sputnik-Moldova Radio, etc.

A series of articles in the media of the Republic of Moldova has been published, too. Such magazines as Legea și viața (Law and Life), Verkhovenstvo Prava (Rule of Law), Evropeyskiy Vektor (European Vector), and Pasul Now (New Step) and Ziarul de Gardă (Guarding Newspaper) newspapers have published articles on the project, combating torture, opinions of the beneficiaries of the Center for Legal, Psychological, and Rehabilitation Assistance to Victims of Torture, etc.

In addition, large banners with excerpts from legislation on what torture is and how it could be opposed, well as the coordinates of anti-torture organizations have been installed in prisons, hospitals, and educational institutions.

Within the project, small-format calendars containing the coordinates of the centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture in Russian and Romanian, as well as descriptions of their assistance have been published. They have been distributed in prisons, educational institutions, mayors’ offices, police commissariats, boarding schools, and hospitals. A large number of citizens have been using such calendars throughout the year, and in situations where they themselves, their relatives, friends, or acquaintances become victims, they could use the addresses and phone numbers of one of our three centers for legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture.

Information color leaflets about functions and type of assistance, including the address of the centers for offering direct legal, psychological, and rehabilitation assistance to victims of torture.

Permanently working NGO network for combating torture has been established. This Network is aimed at sharing experience among NGOs, raising their awareness of torture and ways to combat this phenomenon, and methods of influencing the authorities to enhance its activities in struggling against torture. After an intensive training program, the Network members will share the acquired knowledge of torture prevention methods in their regions. They will offer informational and legal assistance to other NGOs in the regions of Moldova.

The Network meetings were held on May 15, 2019, July 1, 2019, September 13, 2019, October 21, 2019, November 9, 2019, etc.

The open dialogue that followed allowed identifying the issues of torture in certain regions, sharing experiences, and establishing contacts for further joint activities.

The participants appreciated this event, thanking the organizers and the donor for holding it.

After that, the Network members started an open dialogue and discussed the issues of interest.

In addition, the training workshops were held for the Network participants.

“Train the Trainers” program includes 5 workshops devoted to the modern methods for prevention of tortures.

. The training workshops were held for the Network participants (on June 17, 2019, September 17, 2019, September 25, 2019, October 26, 2019, and November 2, 2019).

3 anti-torture TV-broadcasts on TV channels in Gagauzia. To achieve the goals of our project in an efficient way, is important to organize TV programs on the local TV in Gagauzia (inhabited mostly by minorities: Gagauzians, Bulgarians, etc.). The reason is that most residents of Gagauzia do not watch the republican TV or read any national newspapers. They watch mostly local channels and trust them. Programs in the national media only will be ineffective for the residents of Gagauzia and are likely to be unnoticed. Therefore, TV program on the local Gagauzian channels is the only efficient way of informing the residents of Gagauzia of the anti-torture instruments.

4 anti-torture radio-broadcasts on radio channels in Moldova. Anti-torture broadcasts have been organized, including those describing the project itself, our activities, and the way we help residents in case of torture. Radio broadcasts have taken place at several national radio stations: Radio Moldova National Channel, Noroc Radio, Sputnik-Moldova Radio, etc.

No	Name of the Broadcaster	Topic	Date
1	Vocea Basarabiei	Presentation of the project, its goal, and events. Presentation of the 3 centers and the services within the project. The difference between domestic violence and torture was discussed, and who could address us was mentioned.	April 2019
2	Radio Noroc	Presentation of the project. The lawyer spoke about the Center’s recent cases and the ways to contact us; we described a victim’s psychological portrait.	April 2019
3	Radio National Moldova 1	International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Presentation of the Centers’ work and services provided by the 3 Centers. We discussed cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office and 2 recent cases the Center in Chisinau was working upon.	June 2019
4	Radio Sputnik	The project and its goals, recent cases, and statistics were presented. We discussed the situation regarding torture in Moldova, a victim’s psychological portrait, and those who contacted us.	October 15, 2019

Anti-torture articles in the Moldavian media. A 8 articles has also been published in Year 1 and 5 articles has also been published in Year 2.

Sub-grant program: 4 sub-grants to NGOs from the Moldova (including the region of Transnistria) to support their anti-torture initiatives.

The Institute for Democracy has started implementing a sub-grant program to support non-governmental organizations’ initiatives aimed at combating torture.

The overall goal of the sub-grants program was providing support to civil society projects contributing to prohibition of torture and ensuring liability for torture and other types of ill-treatment in the Republic of Moldova.

The specific goal of the sub-grant program was providing an integrated and holistic approach to combating torture and ill-treatment; it was supposed to mandatory include the following three mutually reinforcing interrelated elements: (a) prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment; (b) liability for torture and other types of ill-treatment to restore the victim’s rights to compensation for the damage and combat impunity by bringing to justice those guilty of torture; (c) supporting rehabilitation of victims of torture in order to stabilize the life of a victim and/or their family and restore their right to protection and compensation for the damage.

The project implementation term was supposed to cover a term of up to 12 months (until October 2020), the organizations had to file their applications by September 30, 2019.

The maximum budget amount the applicants could request for the projects they offered was not supposed to exceed 6 000 Euros; financing a project in the amount of up to 7 000 Euros was possible. 12 applications from 22 public organizations from different regions of Moldova, including Gagauzia and Transnistria, as well as from Chisinau, Balti, etc. were submitted to the sub-grant contest.

www.indem.org

id.moldova@gmail.com

(+373) 67161050