AKIPRESS.COM - The protection of human rights in the armed forces was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion today bringing together representatives of the Office of President of Kyrgyzstan, Parliament, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Defence Council, military judges and prosecutors, as well as international and non-governmental organizations and media.

Representatives of the Kyrgyz Ombudsman Office, the National Preventive Mechanism, and the Kylym Shamy NGO presented a report, supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, which is based on the results of monitoring military institutions across the country with the aim of promoting greater openness and public confidence in the armed forces.

Seventy military institutions in Kyrgyzstan were the subject of the report: 22 institutions under the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Defense Ministry, 34 under theState Border Service, six under the National Guard, two under the Emergency Situations Ministry and six under the State Penitentiary Service. Some 1,115 armed forces personnel from these units and detachments took part in the survey.

“Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including armed forces personnel, is an integral part of the OSCE comprehensive concept of security,” said Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos. “We support the Kyrgyz Republic in its implementation of the OSCE Code of Conduct on the Politico-Military Aspect of Security to ensure that military, paramilitary, and security-service personnel respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security commits each participating State to ensure that military, paramilitary and security forces personnel be able to enjoy and exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms in conformity with relevant national legislation.