CAT/C/TJK/CO/3 in the country, and that these developments are impeding the State party’s ability to ensure that all people deprived of their liberty are able to access fundamental legal safeguards against torture and ill-treatment — including prompt access to an independent lawyer — in practice (art. 2). 20. The State party should amend the Bar and Advocacy Act with a view to strengthening the independence of the qualifications commission from the Ministry of Justice. The Committee recommends that the State party invite the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to visit the country. Retaliation against victims of torture and their families, human rights defenders, and journalists 21. The Committee is deeply concerned at allegations that individuals who complain of torture, members of their families, human rights defenders including lawyers representing victims of torture, and journalists reporting on allegations of torture frequently face reprisals by officials of the State party. In particular, the Committee is deeply concerned at the absence of response to requests for information regarding its efforts to investigate allegations that several human rights lawyers in the country appear to have been subjected to arrest after agreeing to represent high-profile clients in detention, who seemed to face a particularly acute risk of torture. The Committee regrets that in response to requests for information regarding its efforts to investigate these allegations, the State party denied that any such claims of reprisal had been received by the authorities and stated that any such allegations involving lawyers engaged in high-profile cases were unfounded (arts. 2, 11, 12, 13 and 16). 22. The State party should, as a matter of urgency: (a) Take measures to strengthen the ability of its public bodies to receive and investigate effectively claims of retaliation by officials against victims of torture, their family members, their lawyers, and journalists and human rights defenders; (b) Undertake an independent investigation into allegations that human rights lawyers Shuhrat Kudratov, Buzurgmehr Yorov and Nuriddin Mahkamov were prosecuted in retaliation for their representation of detained members of the New Tajikistan Party and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, and that Firuz Tabarov was arrested and prosecuted in retaliation for his father’s representation of Zayd Saidov, the leader of the New Tajikistan Party. Deaths in custody 23. The Committee is concerned at reports of several instances of death in custody, including suicides and deaths that occurred due to a high incidence of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS among prisoners, and due to the lack of prompt screening on admission and lack of adequate medical care offered to ill prisoners, and at the large number of cases in which the penitentiary authorities have not issued reports on the causes of deaths in custody. The Committee also remains concerned about the outcomes of the investigation into the deaths of three persons: Kurbon Mannonov, Nozimdshon Tashirpov and Ismonboy Boboev (arts. 2, 12, 13, 14 and 16). 24. The State party should: (a) Continue taking measures to combat the spread of infectious diseases and implement vigorously harm reduction programmes in pretrial detention facilities and prisons in order to reduce the number of deaths from tuberculosis and the incidence of HIV/AIDS, including by screening for these diseases on admission to places of detention; (b) Investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially all incidents of death in custody, and ensure independent forensic examinations; provide autopsy reports to the family members of the deceased and, if requested, permit family members to commission private autopsies; and prosecute those responsible for violations of the Convention resulting in such deaths, and if they are convicted, punish them accordingly and provide compensation and redress to relatives of victims. 6