Baisalov assured that human rights defenders would receive full support in expanding their capabilities, budget, and apparatus for the protection of human rights, including the prevention of torture.
Human rights activist Nazgul Turdubekova expressed concern over the delay in transferring powers from the closed National Center to the ombudsman.
“The prohibition of torture is an inherent human right that must be guaranteed at all times. The National Center suspended its operations last summer, and considering the approaching 2026, the current resources of the ombudsman will not allow for the volume of work that was previously carried out by the National Center. In the past, it conducted over 1,500 inspections in places of detention, psychiatric institutions, and military units. As a result, six months without the National Center means that many potential victims of violence and torture may remain unprotected,” she noted.
Turdubekova also urged Baisalov to expedite the process of transferring powers, pointing out the risk of delays due to bureaucracy. “It is important to maintain the budget of the National Center, as its reduction will negatively impact human rights activities in institutions where people are in vulnerable situations,” she added.
At the same time, the staff of the akiykatchy institution conducted 613 monitoring and inspections in the ten months of 2025, including 276 in places of detention and 124 in educational institutions. During this period, 128 response acts were drawn up, of which 102 were executed by state authorities.
It should be noted that in September 2025, the president signed a law on the ombudsman, under which the National Center for the Prevention of Torture was dissolved and its functions transferred to the ombudsman institution. A number of international human rights organizations called on parliament to reject this decision.
Photo on the main page is illustrative: gov.kz.
