Earlier this year, to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the APT, together with the Anti-Torture Initiative and the Norwegian Center for Human Rights, hosted a side-event on the "Guidelines on Investigative Interviewing and Associated Safeguards," during the 12th Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, at the Norwegian Police University College Conference Centre in Stavern, Norway.
During the side-event, members of the Steering Committee, Advisory Council, and Coordination Group for the development of the Guidelines, discussed the prospective role of the guidelines in respecting human rights, professionalising interviewing practices, and improving investigative outcomes with conference participants, including law enforcement practitioners, from around the world.
Juan E. Mendez, Steering Committee co-Chair and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, emphasised the key role played by research and practices developed and championed by stakeholders in attendance in paving the way towards the development of the Guidelines. He recognised that the Guidelines will be "an important tool that will help change mindsets and institutional cultures that rely excessively on obtaining confessions as the chief way to 'solve crimes.'"
Aside from sharing experiences from their work in practice, conference participants provided feedback on the ongoing process towards the development of the Guidelines, and discussed prospects for implementation in their jurisdictions.