ABSTRACT
Documenting ill-treatment or torture by outside monitors by interviewing prisoners still in custody is a difficult task. It is completely different from encounters with torture survivors in rehabilitation centers. This chapter focuses on the way to tackle the issue of detainees who may have been submitted to some form of torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment (CIDT). It deals with a range of mistreatments, some that qualify as forms of torture according to international legal definitions, and others that are considered less intense in nature or in their effects, including "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment"—but also even lesser forms. The chapter addresses additional aspects of visits to places of detention by outside monitors, the actual interview with the interviewees, and will attempt to identify pitfalls to avoid. Monitoring and prevention of ill-treatment in custodial situations covers a wide range of situations that will require different strategies.
