Southeast gets training on documenting torture
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 17, 2009 00:00
MARDİN - A training program has been initiated in the Southeast to teach forensic practitioners in the region to comply with the Istanbul Protocol’s methodology of documenting cases of torture and mistreatment. The training is being conducted by staff from the health and justice ministries in the southeastern city of Mardin.
Professionals in the field of forensic medicine in southeastern Anatolia are undergoing training to comply with international standards on documenting incidents of torture and mistreatment.
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The training program is a joint effort of the Turkish Medical Association, or TTB; International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, or IRCT; and the Health and Justice ministries.
Dr. Hülya Biriken, a member of the TTB Central Council, spoke at the gathering in Mardin and mentioned the Istanbul Protocol, implemented in December 2007 with the support of the European Union, to attain international standards on medically documenting torture and ill treatment, which is the motivation behind the training program.
Biriken said, be it positive or negative, the medical reports written by doctors on torture incidents causes a great deal of trouble for them and that she has witnessed some of the torture reports being torn up in front of her.
Biriken then mentioned the professional and ethical responsibilities of doctors who deal with cases of torture and ill treatment. "Four thousand doctors, 1,000 prosecutors and 500 judges will be trained during the Mardin program, which will last for three days," Biriken said. "The training for the doctors consists of notification only. Training is very important, but we cannot deal with torture through training only. The determination of the political authorities holds great importance in preventing torture."
Dr. Kamuran Yıldırım, president of Mardin Medical Chamber, said the Istanbul Protocol is a guide of international validity for efficiently investigating and documenting torture."Many of our colleagues who tried to document torture in the past were faced with various accusations and were forced to pay various costs," said Yıldırım.
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The training program is a joint effort of the Turkish Medical Association, or TTB; International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, or IRCT; and the Health and Justice ministries.
Dr. Hülya Biriken, a member of the TTB Central Council, spoke at the gathering in Mardin and mentioned the Istanbul Protocol, implemented in December 2007 with the support of the European Union, to attain international standards on medically documenting torture and ill treatment, which is the motivation behind the training program.
Biriken said, be it positive or negative, the medical reports written by doctors on torture incidents causes a great deal of trouble for them and that she has witnessed some of the torture reports being torn up in front of her.
Biriken then mentioned the professional and ethical responsibilities of doctors who deal with cases of torture and ill treatment. "Four thousand doctors, 1,000 prosecutors and 500 judges will be trained during the Mardin program, which will last for three days," Biriken said. "The training for the doctors consists of notification only. Training is very important, but we cannot deal with torture through training only. The determination of the political authorities holds great importance in preventing torture."
Dr. Kamuran Yıldırım, president of Mardin Medical Chamber, said the Istanbul Protocol is a guide of international validity for efficiently investigating and documenting torture."Many of our colleagues who tried to document torture in the past were faced with various accusations and were forced to pay various costs," said Yıldırım.