Preparations for the Mission Practical issues • Communications (telephone, internet, satellite, etc.) • Acceptance of foreigners by local population • • • • • • Recommended clothing Local currency, use of credit cards Weather conditions Local time, holidays Local travel facilities Food For further country information, see Annex 6. b. Information relevant to the case of alleged torture/ill-treatment The purpose of the investigation needs to be clear. Is it to bring alleged perpetrators to court, to support an asylum case, to claim reparation? Is it part of a broader investigation into human rights violations in the country? Who has invited the team, on whose authority and in what capacity will the team members be working? The team should be provided with all relevant information regarding the case, including medical records, official documents such as court documents related to any alleged arrest or detention, photographs taken during or shortly after the period of alleged ill-treatment, etc (see also 4g). All possible measures should be taken to secure the confidentiality of these data (see also 5b). c. Support for the alleged torture victim and his/her family Possibilities to support the alleged victim(s) should be considered prior to the final decision on the involvement of the expert team. A plan should be made together with the local partners, such as rehabilitation centres for victims of torture. Ideally, there should be psychosocial, medical, legal, and humanitarian support available before, during and after the mission. In many cases victims live under poor conditions, isolated, and sometimes with little or no support system. Unfortunately, support may be difficult (or impossible) to provide, for example, for people in places of detention. Documenting torture should never be an absolute objective in itself.16 The wellbeing and safety of the alleged torture victims should at all times be prioritized. The local team should prepare the examinee as much as possible for the process of the examination, explaining the procedures of the investigation, the possible short and long-term implications and consequences of the evaluation for him or herself and his or her relatives. Both examiner and examinee should realise that the interview and examination can be very stressful. There is always a risk of re-traumatisation. The objectives of the examination should be clear. It is important for the team to learn about the expectations of the examinee, which may be too high. The team should be clear about its limitations. 19