General observations Centres in over half the participating countries (55 percent) reported that there is no training on the preparation of MLRs for health experts. This is particularly concerning given that a bad quality MLR could significantly disadvantage an asylum applicant’s claim. In order that MLRs serve their purpose, it is essential that both legal and health experts receive training to both effectively investigate and document acts of torture, and thereby act in the best interests of the VoT. If MLRs are not produced to a sufficiently high standard, as detailed in the Istanbul Protocol, then there is a danger that they will be considered unfavourably by the decision-making authority or court. Is there training on the preparation of MLRs for health experts? Yes (5; 28%) Yes, there is training: France, Germany, Sweden, USA and New Zealand. No, there is no training: Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Moldova, Netherlands (except internal training for Medifirst and iMMO), Turkey, Australia. No response: Armenia, Hungary, Canada. No (10; 55%) No response (3; 17%) Europe EU countries: France, Germany and Sweden were the only EU Member States to report that training is provided on the preparation of MLRs for health experts. In France, Parcours d’Exil provides training to health experts on the Istanbul Protocol and MLRs. In Germany, the Chamber of Doctors and Psychotherapists has carried out training for health professionals since 2002, in cooperation with IRCT member centre bzfo and other experts in the field. However, there is still a lack of trained health experts in Germany.75 The Swedish Red Cross, Malmö provides training on the Istanbul Protocol for relevant professionals. One concern is that there are a number of EU Member States that did not report that training is provided to health experts: Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Italy and Netherlands. The recently negotiated changes to the Asylum Procedures Directive and the Reception Conditions Directive place more obligations on Member States to ensure that personnel involved in asylum decision-making receive adequate training in handling cases involving allegations of torture. This obligation should go hand in hand with ensuring that health experts receive training on the medical documentation of alleged torture victims. Rest of Europe: No member centres that participated in the questionnaire from non-EU European countries stated that there is training provided to health experts on preparing MLRs. However, it should be noted that in Turkey, IRCT´s member centre Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) carries out training on the Istanbul Protocol for medical professionals and judges who work mainly with VoTs of Turkish nationality. Recently, TIHV has also started to offer similar training programmes for health and legal professionals who work with refugees and asylum-seekers.76 Recognising victims of torture in national asylum procedures / 41