Ombudsmen: Although in recent years the number of appeals to the Centre for Human Rights on torture and ill-treatment has decreased, in 2013 it  was ranked on second place by the total number of complaints registered at the Center and this demonstrates that the phenomenon of ill-treatment persists in Moldova.

This was one of the Ombudsmen's fact-finding made ​​in the report of the Centre for Human Rights on human rights in 2013 in our country (http://www.ombudsman.md/sites/default/files/rapoarte/raportul_2013_red_d ... ) .

The report notes that since 2011 the number of appeals to the Center for Human Rights regarding the security and personal dignityhas decreased, the tendency emphasized since 2011. Ombudsmen believe that this situation may be determinated by the activity  of National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture but also by  other factors, such as creation in 2010 a combating torture section  in the Office of the General Prosecutor, the appointment of  specialized prosecutors in territorial prosecutors offices, establishment in the General Prosecutor Office a hotline in order to receive ill-treatment cases. Ombudsmen also highlight the importance of providing video cameras for prisons and police stations, and the promoting activities regarding the  national and international standards of human rights  for  staff  institutions who provides detention  of persons.

During 2013 the National Mechanism for  Prevention of Torture were made 227 preventive and /or monitoring  visits, compared to 43 visits made in 2008 and 125 visits made in 2009. As in previous years, the most visited institutions were the police stations- 148 visits and prisons- 53 visits. 15 visits were made to military units, 10 - to psycho-neurological sections and one in a psychiatric institution. According to NMPT, visits there were issued 31 acts of Ombudsmen involvement, submitted 19 recommendations for improving conditions of detention.

Last year parliamentary advocates submitted several requests to initiate criminal or disciplinary cases. After examining those acts, General Prosecutor Office opened a criminal investigation based on two matters. 8 criminal cases were started on Article 171 from Criminal Code (rape) under a reasonable suspicion that in the psycho-neurological boarding in Balti, a doctor committed  several rapes. These criminal cases were examined in court.

Another criminal case was set on art. 166 from Criminal Code (torture) under  a reasonable suspicion of mistreatment of a prisoner  who stayed  in the prison 13 in Chişinău. In other five requests the  Prosecution refused  to start a criminal investigation  because of lack of evidences.

In 2013 the attention was drawn to the situation in the prison no. 13 in Chisinau, five recommendations were sent to prison’s  administration or DIP  with demand of improving the detention conditions. Ombudsmen reacted upon to signals of  media which refers to situation  in the prison, but not at least,  they took  into account the increased  number of  convictions  at  the ECHR for minimum necessary conditions of detention.

In 2013, 32 complaints of torture and  inhuman or degrading treatment  were reported to the Center,in 150 complaints - were invoked  issues related to conditions of detention  in prisons. 32 complaints regarding the violation of personal dignity, in 10 complaints were raised various matters  linked to  the procedure of detention or arrest .

Last year, the ECHR issued 19 convicting sentences against Moldova, on 11 of them - our country was  convicted for violation of Art. 3 of the ECHR (prohibition of torture). The amount of damage received last year for violating the art.3 from ECHR by Moldovan authorities  consists 148900 euro .