Recommendations for the Medical Examination and Report a practical guide for non professional forensic photography” (on CD-ROM). d. Audio recording Recording the interview can be very helpful, but may also present security concerns. Furthermore, there may be the risk of reminding the victim of the interrogations. A recorder may only be used when the objectives of the interview/ examination are clear to, and have the informed consent of, the torture survivor (Annex 5). e. Recommendations regarding visits to places of detention The first challenge is to get access to the place of detention. This should in principle be arranged before the team arrives. The detainee should be met in private. In some cases it may be possible to examine the person outside the detention centre. There are several international declarations, standards and principles stating ‘the right to be examined by a doctor of own choice’ that can be used to obtain access (see CD-ROM), but these arguments may be ignored by the relevant authorities, especially in states that disregard the UNCAT. Sometimes, formal authorization will be required and should be sought prior to the mission. It is extremely difficult to carry out an examination in a prison setting. Conditions for a state-of-the-art examination may be restricted, while the outcome may still be valuable. Time available in detention settings may be very limited and there may be no access to additional diagnostic tests. Possible restrictions and limitations should be clarified prior to the mission, as well as the influence they may have on the outcome of the examination. Importantly, there is a risk of reprisals for the detained person, and - if no appropriate follow-up measures are guaranteed - it should be carefully considered whether to go ahead with the planned examination. There are many manuals and guidelines regarding visits to places of detention. The purpose of these manuals is often to facilitate the monitoring of the human rights situation, such as under the OPCAT and visits of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT); the monitoring is based on collaboration rather than on confrontation (see Annex 6). f. Medico-legal report It is important to clarify any legal requirements relating to the format and submission of the report. There may be a demand that the report carries original signatures of the examiners or that the report must be notarised or certified prior to submission. Sometimes reports by foreign experts are only accepted by the court if the experts have had their medical licence authorised by relevant local medical authorities. Since team members will often be resident in different countries, it is recommended to agree and arrange for the process of finalisation and submission of the report 29