lack of trust in the justice system are the two most common reasons given by torture victims for not pursuing justice according to the 37 IRCT members contributing to this report. Many torture rehabilitation centres refer to the scepticism shown by torture victims of the degree of judicial independence in their country. In these cases, victims anticipate failure in their quest for justice as they confront a police and judicial system that is corrupt and lacking in impartiality and independence. These factors, together with a lack of accessible knowledge on legal proceedings, high legal costs and a fear of possible re-traumatisation through participating in a trial contribute to impunity. This is very apparent in the story of Catholic Priest Dom. Fear of re-traumatisation and a lack of trust in the judicial system dissuades the pursuit of justice: The story of Dom from Albania Fearing re-traumatisation and lacking belief in the legal process can affect the motivation of a torture victim when considering pursuing justice. For Dom, a Catholic Priest, his confidence in legal proceedings was tested by the lack of progress shown by the state to give Albanian political prisoners an opportunity to be heard. Now 73-years-old, Dom was just 24 when the Albanian army launched a campaign of religious persecution across the country. Arrested for his religious beliefs, the persecution targeted those whom the state felt posed a threat to the party ruling at the time, between 1945-1991, under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. “My only sin was that I believed in God,” Dom reflects today. “I lived in Puka, a small town, and found strength in my life by praying. This was considered as an attempt to establish a conspiracy against the state, so I was arrested.” Several months of interrogation, punctuated by torture, have today left Dom disabled. “Beatings became normal and I soon became physically weak,” Dom says. “I vomited every day. I was starved. I became depressed and unwell and was refused treatment. 24