interrogations abroad. Our request for an interview, sent August 19, 2009, to discuss this matter with DCRI director Bernard Squarcini was never answered. A French counterterrorism official told Human Rights Watch that French services normally receive a “refined product,” in the form of a summary or simply a tip-off, from a foreign intelligence service, rather than the raw intelligence. 131 They then evaluate the reliability of the information taking into account the known methods and efficiency of the foreign service involved and attempt to cross-reference the information. The official stressed that information obtained illegally, including through torture or ill-treatment, is unacceptable because the information is not reliable and it will ultimately be ruled inadmissible in court.132 Human Rights Watch was unable to learn what methods French intelligence services use to assess whether information was obtained unlawfully. In practice however, as detailed below, such material has been admissible as evidence in French courts. As members of the police force, DCRI agents are ostensibly held to respect the National Police Code of Ethics, which prohibits “violence or inhuman or degrading treatment” against individuals in custody by police officers or third parties. It obligates any officer who witnesses prohibited behavior to intervene to stop it and to report the incident to the competent authorities.133 Nonetheless, national and international nongovernmental organizations and UN bodies have criticized the lack of effective and impartial investigations of allegations of abuse involving the French police, raising concerns that these guidelines are not adequately upheld or enforced.134 131 Human Rights Watch interview with two French counterterrorism officials who requested anonymity, Paris, December 12, 2007. 132 Ibid. 133 National Police Code of Ethics, http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do;jsessionid=6C166BF16ACBC883581304E3C6E844BB.tpdjo12v_3?cidTexte=LEGI TEXT000006071071&dateTexte=20090921 (accessed September 21, 2009), article 10. 134 UN Committee Against Torture, Consideration of reports submitted by State Parties under article 19 of the Convention: conclusions and recommendations of the Committee Against Torture: France, 3April, 2006, CAT/C/FRA/CO/3, http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CAT.C.FRA.CO.3.En?Opendocument (accessed December 10, 2009); UN Human Rights Committee , Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant : International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights : concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee: France, 31 July 2008, CCPR/C/FRA/CO/4, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/48c50ebe2.html (accessed 11 December 2009); UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention: Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: France, 18 April 2005, CERD/C/FRA/CO/16, http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CERD.C.FRA.CO.16.En?Opendocument (accessed December 10, 2009); European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Rapport au Gouvernement de la République française relatif à la visite effectuée en France par le Comité européen pour la prévention de la torture et des peines ou traitements inhumains ou dégradants (CPT) du 27 septembre au 9 octobre 2006, 10 December 2007, CPT/Inf (2007) 44, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/475d51af2.html (accessed 11 December 2009); Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Report of Alvaro Gil-Robles on the Effective Respect for Human Rights in France following his visit from 5 to 21 September 2005, 15 February 2006, CommDH(2006)2, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4402c3c94.html (accessed December 11, 2009). 47 Human Rights Watch | June 2010