… 9. There shall be thorough, prompt and impartial investigation of all suspected cases of extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions, including cases where complaints by relatives or other reliable reports suggest unnatural death in the above circumstances. … The European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment provides: There shall be established a European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee"). The Committee shall, by means of visits, examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty with a view to strengthening, if necessary, the protection of such persons from torture and from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. [art. 1] Each Party shall permit visits, in accordance with this Convention, to any place within its jurisdiction where persons are deprived of their liberty by a public authority. [art. 2] In the application of this Convention, the Committee and the competent national authorities of the Party concerned shall cooperate with each other. [art. 3] The Guidelines and Measures for the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Africa (The Robben Island Guidelines) require that States should: 18. Ensure that whenever persons who claimed to have been or who appear to have been tortured or ill-treated are brought before competent authorities an investigation shall be initiated. The Guidelines also provide: 19. Investigations into all allegations of torture or illtreatment shall be conducted promptly, impartially and effectively, guided by the UN Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (The Istanbul Protocol). IMPLICATIONS There should be appropriate mechanisms in place to investigate all complaints of human rights violations mentioned in chapter 27 of this Manual. It is vital that such mechanisms have access to all the facts and information in order to inquire adequately into the alleged complaints. In addition, there should be investigations of human rights violations in the absence of express complaints, if it is reasonable to believe that any such violation has occurred. The international standards are comprehensive in detailing the appropriate requirements of an investigation. Prisons are by their nature closed institutions and should therefore be subject to regular inspection. In most countries, there is some form of internal inspection process. The 137