Victims and society as a whole still struggle to get the basic and exemplary measures they deserve for the past atrocities committed by the state. Moreover, they are still waiting for a strong political response to the impunity that continues to exist. 5. Coordination in the context of forensic examinations Documenting cases of torture and carrying out a comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation of the victim’s injuries sustained as a result of the torture – according to the internationally recognised standards in the Istanbul Protocol12 – are critical to the preparation of evidence for legal and administrative proceedings. This medical and psychological evidence is prepared in the form of a medico-legal report, submitted to the court in order to support the victim’s claim and is, in many cases, an essential piece of evidence. Most rehabilitation centres will either have capacity to prepare medico-legal reports internally, or will be able to refer a victim to an independent forensic expert for evaluation. Independent forensic experts – such as those who belong to the Independent Forensic Expert Group (IFEG)13 – may also be called upon to provide direct expert testimony to the court in connection to their evaluation. For many torture victims having a comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation, during which they will need to recount the torture event, can be highly traumatic. Therefore, receiving appropriate psychosocial support to accompany this evaluation process is essential, in particular to aid the victim’s understanding of the process, the possible positive and negative effects that the evaluation may have on the victim’s psychological state and to provide emotional and psychological support both before and after the evaluation. 45