The Multiregional Committee against Torture was certified by the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT). This was reported in an official letter of Ms. Brita Sydhoff, Secretary-General of the International Rehabilitation Council.
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) is an independent international organization of doctors who aim at rehabilitation of torture victims and eliminating tortures worldwide.
The IRCT was founded in 1985 and it cooperates with more than 200 rehabilitation centres situated all over the world.
The IRCT attracts public attention to the necessity of rehabilitation of torture victims, promotes establishment of rehabilitation centres for torture victims worldwide, registers torture events and collects data of torture investigations.
The IRCT initiates, develops and implements projects targeted at preventing tortures by means of prompt interference. Apart from that, it collects documents, disseminates information, lobbies relevant interests, trains doctors, provides financial support for rehabilitation activities and performs other activities for torture prevention. The IRCT is governed by the Executive Committee of 30 members that represents the interests of rehabilitation centres and programmes all over the world. The headquarters are located in Copenhagen (Danmark).
The IRCT enjoys recognition of the international community for its activity in the sphere of torture victims rehabilitation. The IRCT has a special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and the UN Department of Public Information, and participatory status with the Council of Europe. The organization has a profound experience in training medical personnel in existing and newly founded rehabilitation centres.
Recently the IRCT has started several projects targeted both at medical and legal rehabilitation of people who suffered from tortures and ill-treatment.
The Committee against Torture received an invitation to become member of the IRCT in December 2006 during the International symposium organized by the Council in Berlin. In 2007 the Committee was engaged in preparing the documents and when it complied with all the requirements, it joined the Council as a certified member. The Committee against Torture greatly appreciates cooperation with the International Council, the Council has many times supported the Committee’s initiative to organize annual campaigns on June 26, the Day for the support of torture victims. With the help of the Council the Committee managed to obtain urgent grant aid to ensure Olga Maslova’s security in 2007.
The Committee thanks the International rehabilitation Council for the confidence and will do its utmost to support further fruitful cooperation.