23:30, 19 October 2011

Georgian Ombudsman elected member of UN Committee against Torture

Yesterday, on October 18, in Geneva (Switzerland) the 13th Meeting of countries participating in the Convention against Torture, Georgy Tugushi, Georgian Ombudsman, was elected a member of the UN Committee against Torture for 2012-2015. 97 votes were given for his candidacy.

In total, five new members of the Committee were elected, including nominations from Chile (111 votes), Mauritania (105), USA (82), and Senegal (72).

The Committee against Torture is composed of 10 independent experts, the TV Channel "PIC" reports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Georgia expressed its gratitude to all countries participating in the convention for their support.

In early October, Georgia hosted the conference devoted to struggle against torture. The conference was attended by experts from legal and medical spheres both from public sector and NGOs. The aim of the meeting was to begin an open discussion on the issue of fast, effective and impartial investigation of torture and improper treatment in Georgia, the "Georgia online" reports.