New forensic expert group to strengthen fight against torture

Drawing on expertise from across the globe, the IRCT, in partnership with Copenhagen University Department of Forensic Medicine, has established an expert group of forensic specialists that will help strengthen the documentation of torture and promote the value of medical evidence in legal proceedings against torturers.

For nearly a decade, the IRCT has been on the forefront of promoting the use of forensic evidence in the medical documentation of torture. The IRCT has trained thousands of health and legal professionals in how to use the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – known as the Istanbul Protocol – to identify, document and report symptoms of physical and psychological torture that can be used in court cases.

Forensic evidence and the rights of victims

International humanitarian law obliges States to investigate alleged crimes of torture and to bring perpetrators to justice. The law also guarantees that torture victims receive reparation, including redress, fair and adequate compensation and the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. However, lack of skills and knowledge among many health and legal professionals about how to effectively investigate and document torture means that many cases of torture go unpunished and victims are left without reparations.

In the coming years, the IRCT hopes to increase the availability of high quality forensic documentation concerning allegations of torture and to increase victims’ access to justice by using forensic evidence in legal proceedings.

The new forensic expert group will serve as a reference point, providing advice on select individual cases and technical issues and participating in targeted missions to examine torture survivors and assist with bringing cases to court. The experts also will help to advocate for the increased use of medical evidence and continue to build a body of knowledge on the subject of forensic documentation.

Composition of expert group

The experts that comprise the group possess experience in both pathology and clinical work, as well as long-standing experience in the documentation of physical and psychological torture sequelae. The members of the expert group include the following:

• Djordje Alempijevic (Serbia)
• Rusudan Beriashvili (Georgia)
• Joe Beynon (Switzerland)
• Maximo Alberto Piedrahita Duque (Colombia)
• Adriaan van Es (The Netherlands)
• Ravindra Fernando (Sri Lanka)
• Steen Holger Hansen (Denmark)
• Lilla Hardi (Hungary)
• Hans Petter Hougen (Denmark)
• Vincent Iacopino (United States)
• Peter Mygind Leth (Denmark)
• Said Louahlia (Morocco)
• Maria Dolores Morcillo Mendez (Colombia)
• Maria Cristina Mendoça (Portugal)
• Jens Modvig (Denmark)
• Ulla Noring (Denmark)
• Önder Özkalipci (Turkey)
• Michael Peel (United Kingdom)
• Derrick Pounder (United Kingdom)
• Christian Pross (Germany)
• Ole Vedel Rasmussen (Denmark)
• Hernan Reyes (Switzerland)
• Sidsel Rogde (Norway)
• Antti Sajantila (Finland)
• Daya Somasundaram (Sri Lanka)
• Jørgen Lange Thomsen (Denmark)
• Morris Tidball (Switzerland)
• Peter Vanezis (United Kingdom)
• Duarte Nuno Vieira (Portugal)

For more information

To learn more about this expert group or the IRCT’s work with documentation of torture, contact Susanne Kjær (sk@irct.org) or Dr Önder Özkalipci (oz@irct.org) or by telephone at +45 33 76 06 00.