[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) › [Clinical forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/clinical/) › Examining detainees and documenting torture (Istanbul Protocol) # Examining detainees and documenting torture (Istanbul Protocol) - Procedure How to examine a person deprived of liberty and document possible torture or ill-treatment following the UN Istanbul Protocol. Updated Nov 5, 2026 ## Key points - Istanbul Protocol (UN, 2022 revision): the standard for documenting torture. - Examine in private, without police or guards in the room. - Levels of consistency: not consistent, consistent, highly consistent, typical of and diagnostic of. - The absence of injuries does not exclude torture. - The opinion is given on the findings as a whole, not injury by injury. ## What it is The Istanbul Protocol is the United Nations manual for the effective investigation and documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; its current revision dates from 2022 (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights). It sets how the medical and psychological evaluation should be done: independent, with informed consent, in private, without State agents in the room, and with a report that interprets how the findings relate to the account. In Colombia the Penal Code makes torture an offence (art. 178), and a doctor who examines a detainee, whether in a medico-legal exam or in health care, must document objectively what is found. ## What to document - Who was present during the exam: the presence of State agents can undermine a negative report. - Account, acute and chronic symptoms, and physical and psychological findings. - The opinion on the possibility of torture, based on all the evidence. - Factors that explain an absence of findings: time elapsed, methods that leave no mark, healing. ## How it is done - Identify the person and obtain informed consent; explain the purpose, the uses of the report and its limits. - Examine in private: police or guards should not be in the room; if they refuse to leave, record it. - Take the account: dates, places, methods, acute symptoms and their course, without pressing. - Do a full physical exam and describe each injury with diagrams and, with consent, photographs with a scale. - Assess the psychological state and refer for specialist evaluation if needed. - Order the additional studies that help document the injuries. - Interpret each finding and the whole using the Protocol's levels: not consistent, consistent, highly consistent, typical or diagnostic. - Deliver the report through secure channels and protect the person's confidentiality and safety. ## Next step: what to do and document - Examine the person alone and record any presence or interference. - Describe precisely and give your opinion using the Istanbul Protocol's levels of consistency. - If you suspect torture or ill-treatment, inform the competent authority (Fiscalía) through secure channels and protect the person from reprisals. - Ensure the medical care needed and continuity of treatment. - Official text checked on 2026-11-05 at funcionpublica.gov.co. ## Common mistakes - Concluding there was no torture because there are no injuries: the absence of findings does not rule it out. - Examining with police or guards present without recording it. - Rating each injury separately without an opinion on the whole. - Using legal standards («beyond reasonable doubt») instead of the levels of consistency. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What are the levels of consistency in the Istanbul Protocol? Not consistent with, consistent with, highly consistent with, typical of and diagnostic of. ## May a police officer be present during the medical exam of a detainee? They should not, except for a serious safety risk in the clinician's judgement. Their presence is recorded in the report and can undermine a negative report. ## Does the absence of visible injuries in a detainee rule out torture? No. Many methods leave no marks and injuries heal; the absence of findings does not exclude torture. ## Which article of the Colombian Penal Code makes torture an offence? Article 178 of Law 599 of 2000. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/forensic-medicine/examining-detainees-and-documenting-torture/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Informed consent: elements and how to obtain it](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/informed-consent-elements-and-how-to-obtain-it/) - [Professional secrecy and confidentiality](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/professional-secrecy-and-confidentiality/) ## Connections ## Related 2 - [Examining a living victim of injury (lesiones personales)](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/examining-a-living-victim-of-injury/) - [The expert report (dictamen pericial): what it must contain](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-expert-report-what-it-must-contain/) [← All of forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority. Sources: [Istanbul Protocol: Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Professional Training Series No. 8, Rev. 2)](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/2022-06-29/Istanbul-Protocol_Rev2_EN.pdf) (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 2022); [Ley 599 de 2000, Código Penal (art. 178)](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=6388) (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 2000). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. 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