1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 The International Court of Justice characterises the prohibition of torture as a peremptory norm of international law (ius cogens). See ICJ, Questions Concerning the Obligation to Prosecute or Extradite (Belgium v. Senegal), Judgment of 20 July 2012, ICJ Reports 2012, para 99. ECtHR, Salah Sheekh v. the Netherlands, No. 1948/04, 11 January 2007, para 135; Vilvarajah and Others v. the United Kingdom, Nos. 13163/87, 13164/87, 13165/87, 13447/87 and 13448/87, 30 October 1991; Soering v. the United Kingdom, No. 14038/88, 7 July 1989. ECtHR, “The Greek case”, Denmark v. Greece, Communication 3321/67; Ireland v. United Kingdom, 18 January 1978. See, for example, ECtHR, A v. United Kingdom, 23 September 1998; Z and others v. United Kingdom, 10 May 2001; DP et JC v. United Kingdom, 10 October 2002. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, Falling through the cracks, 2016. Greece, Asylum Service. Slovakia, information provided by the Ministry of Interior, 26 January 2017. Slovakia, information provided by the Bureau of Border and Alien Police of the Presidium of the Police Force, 26 January 2017. Bulgaria, Nadja Centre. Denmark, information provided by Dignity by interview on 30 January 2017 and e-mail on 2 February 2017. Sweden, Region Västra Götaland, Crisis and Trauma Unit (Kris- och traumaenheten, Närhälsan). Sigvardsdotter,E. et al. (2016), Prevalence of torture and other war- related traumatic events in forced migrants: A systematic review. Torture Journal, Volume 26, Issue 2. Slovakia, information provided by Marginal NGO on 30 January 2017. See https://www.tum.de/die-tum/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/detail/article/32590/. Swedish Red Cross University College (Röda Korsets Högskola) (2016) Newly resettled refugees and asylum seekers in Sweden – a study of mental illness, trauma and living conditions (Nyanlända och asylsökande i Sverige - En studie av psykisk ohälsa, trauma och levnadsvillkor), Röda Korsets Högskolas rapportserie 2016:1, An English summary. Please note that the data were collected in the first counselling session when, frequently, many clients are not able to speak about traumatic experiences like that of torture. Therefore BafF assumes, that the proportion of torture affected persons is significantly higher than 44 %. Federal Association of Psychosocial Centres for Refugees and Victims of Torture (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Psychosozialer Zentren für Flüchtlinge und Folteropfer, BAfF), 30 January 2017. Bulgaria, Nadja Centre. Italy, Medici Senza Frontiere Italia, MSF Italia Traumi ignorati ‘Neglected Traumas’. Denmark, the Danish Parliament (Folketinget), the Immigration and Integration Committee (Udlændinge- og Integrationsudvalget), Udlændinge- og Integrationsudvalget, Alm. del 201617: Bilag 120, available in Danish and information provided by the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) by e-mail on 8 February 2017. Bulgaria, Nadja Centre. Germany, Government response to a parliamentary interpellation in Hamburg, 12 July 2016. UNHCR Weekly Report, 3 February 2017. Slovakia, information provided by Marginal NGO, 30 January 2017. Sweden, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (Sveriges kommuner och landsting). See http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/apopeira-aytoktonias-sto-hotspot-tis-leroy. Italy, MSF report. Ibid. Bulgaria, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria. Ibid. Hungary, Immigration and Asylum Office. Greece, MDM-Doctors of the World. Hungary, National Police Headquarters. Austria, Diakonie Refugee Service, Departement Health and Psychotherapy (Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst, Fachbereichsleitung Gesundheit und Psychotherapie). 17