allegations of torture. As a result of a procuratorial inspection, criminal proceedings were refused in seven cases. The defence did not have access to the verification materials. In none of the cases were the provisions of article 88, paragraph 1, of the Code of Criminal Procedure applied. Conclusion Despite positive steps in recent years, torture and other forms of ill-treatment are still pervasive problems in Tajikistan. The authorities do not publish unified and comprehensive statistics on complaints, investigations and convictions relating to torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Some government agencies release their own statistics at press conferences and in government reports to UN bodies, but they only cover crimes opened under Article 143.1 (“torture”) although cases involving allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment are often opened under other articles of the Criminal Code such as “abuse of power”, “exceeding official duties” or “failure to carry out or inappropriately carrying out duties”. 52