Medical doctors: the key to prevent impunity
Conclusion
Medical doctors play an essential role not only in providing rehabilitation services to torture survivors but also in preventing
impunity by documenting torture. The contents and quality of
the MLR may determine whether accounts of torture and illtreatment can be proven in a court of law. Therefore, doctors
and lawyers must collaborate closely to ensure that MLRs are
available and that the conclusions of the MLR have the required accuracy and objectivity to be admissible as evidence.
This should mainly be ensured by establishing clear categories
for the level of consistency between the witness account and
the physical and psychological findings and by avoiding the
passing of judicial judgement in the MLR.
For further information, please see:
Peel M, Lubell N and Beynon J. Medical Investigation and Documentation of Torture. Available at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf19/fco_humanrights_medicaltorture
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