2023-02-28

Guest lecture on the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture

On 27 February 2023, Dr. Matthew Pringle, a British/Canadian human rights consultant, delivered a guest lecture on ‘The Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT): An International Human Rights Instrument for the Protection of All’ to students of the MA Programme in Politics and Security. This lecture was a part of the course ‘Contemporary Security Issues’ taught by Dr. Elena Zhirukhina.

During the lecture, Dr. Pringle gave a brief introduction into the OPCAT, an international agreement aimed at preventing torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The lecturer talked about the importance of independent monitoring of places of detention in the context of preventing violent extremism in prisons, and briefly discussed the publication "Protecting Human Rights in Prisons while Preventing Radicalization Leading to Terrorism or Violence: A Guide for Detention Monitors" published by the OSCE-ODIHR and PRI in 2021.