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detention. Some of them cited their personal experiences of having had torture prevented or shortened by the intervention of colleagues abroad, thus under- lining the importance of professional organizations in attempts to stop torture. The results of the workshop were published in a 15-page report that reviews the patterns of torture over the years in the two countries, the involvement of doctors in torture, some evidence of the international training of torturers, and the role of individuals and groups abroad in helping to stop or to decrease the severity of torture.
The many conclusions and recommendations of the workshop, as given in the report, deal mainly with the following topics: publicity and ways to increase its effectiveness; the need to take urgent action on likely cases of torture as soon as news of an arrest has reached the outside world; the need to press consistently for detainees to be permitted access to a lawyer immediately after arrest, this being the period when torture usually takes place; missions by legal experts to observe trials and to report to the outside world; action by professional organizations, trade unions, religious bodies, etc., on behalf of colleagues who are, or are in danger of, being tortured; communications between AI and groups within a country that may be able to provide information about torture; and support for treatment and rehabilitation of torture victims.
Another effort to improve Al's techniques was initiated by a group of Danish AI doctors and scientists who wish to develop effective methods for on-the-spot-medical investigation of allegations of torture. Medical evidence of this kind could be invaluable in mobilizing international public opinion.
Because no scientific work has been done on the subject, the doctors and scientists began research in 1974 along three lines: the formulation of a check- list for the medical examination of victims of torture, tests to detect forced medication and tests to detect electrical torture. The checklist for medical examinations will assist in the standardization of investigations, thus allowing results from different investigations made by medical personnel from different countries to be comparable. A standard questionnaire, as well as a standard protocol for physical examination, have already been prepared. The tests to detect forced medication will allow for the length of time in which drugs can be detected in the blood and urine after administration.
Because electrical torture has become more and more frequently used, tests to verify its use should prove very valuable. The research is being carried forward in the fields of pathology, dermatology, and neurophysiology, focusing on the duration of application, voltage, localization and the rate and extent of tissue regeneration.
It is appropriate to conclude this account by paying tribute to the AI national sections and CAT groups. They have played and continue to play an indispen- sable role, not only by safeguarding the campaign's existence in financial terms and by providing the framework for efficient urgent campaigns on behalf of individual victims, but also by initiating a variety of imaginative actions at the national level. It is clear from the example cited of the medical research started in Denmark that some of these have a considerable potential impact on the inter- national campaign.
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