Torture. 2016;26(3):3-7.
There is increasing evidence to show that torture is a serious problem in the Basque Country. Whilst such evidence can be found in reports of international human rights monitoring bodies, sentences of Spanish and international courts, and empirical studies, they are limited in not having followed the Istanbul Protocol (IP) in order to evaluate the reliability of torture. A working group composed of professional associations of psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians and lawyers, in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country, conducted a four-year study on the medical and psychological consequences of torture in incommunicado detainees, including an assessment of credibility in line with the IP. The methodological design included a multi-level peerreviewed blind assessment and input by an external expert (from the Independent Forensic Expert Group facilitated by International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)). A sample of 45 Basque people held in short-term incommunicado detention under anti-terrorist legislation (between 1980 and 2012) in Spain who had reported ill-treatment or torture was selected. The findings are divided into four papers: the present introductory paper; the second analyses the credibility of the allegations of torture and introduces an innovative methodology that enhances the IP, the Standardized Evaluation Form (SEC); the third provides an analysis of the methods of torture and introduces the concept of Torturing Environments; and, in the last paper, the psychological and psychiatric consequences of incommunicado detention are analyzed. The collection of papers are intended to be useful not only in the documentation of torture in the Basque Country and Spain, but also as an innovative example of how the IP can be used for research purposes.
越来越多的证据表明，酷刑在巴斯克地区是一个严重问题。虽然此类证据可在国际人权监督机构的报告、西班牙和国际法庭的判决以及实证研究中找到，但它们在评估酷刑的可靠性时未遵循《伊斯坦布尔议定书》（IP），存在局限性。一个由精神病医生、心理学家、医生和律师专业协会组成的工作组，与巴斯克地区大学合作，对被单独监禁的被拘留者遭受酷刑的医学和心理后果进行了为期四年的研究，包括按照《伊斯坦布尔议定书》对可信度进行评估。方法设计包括多层次同行评审的盲法评估以及外部专家（来自由酷刑受害者国际康复理事会（IRCT）推动的独立法医专家组）的投入。选取了45名根据西班牙反恐立法在1980年至2012年期间被短期单独拘留且报告遭受虐待或酷刑的巴斯克人作为样本。研究结果分为四篇论文：本篇介绍性论文；第二篇分析酷刑指控的可信度，并引入一种改进《伊斯坦布尔议定书》的创新方法，即标准化评估表（SEC）；第三篇分析酷刑方法，并引入“酷刑环境”概念；最后一篇论文分析单独监禁的心理和精神后果。这些论文集不仅旨在记录巴斯克地区和西班牙的酷刑情况，还作为如何将《伊斯坦布尔议定书》用于研究目的的一个创新范例。
