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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2010
The ICRC visits prisoners all over the world, whether they are prisoners of war in camps or political detainees held in prisons or police stations. In 1990, ICRC delegates visited more than 84,000 prisoners in about 40 countries. These visits are made by teams of delegates, the number of whom varies depending on the number of prisoners to be seen. Each team is made up of Swiss delegates specially trained to carry out such visits, including at least one doctor
1 There may be two or more contexts to a conflict in one and the same country: in Afghanistan, for example, the ICRC visits prisoners in the hands of the government authorities in Kabul and elsewhere; ICRC delegates also visit those held by the Mujaheddin, on Afghan soil, but do so from a delegation based in Pakistan.
2 Term that includes all matters connected with water supplies, sanitary engineering (drainage, sewerage, etc.) and hygiene.
3 The term “ill-treatment” is the one currently used in the official documents of the ICRC. It refers in fact to cases of torture and of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as defined or cited in various international conventions against torture. The use of the term is not due to prudery or timidity: it enables the ICRC to report on these matters without the risk of automatic rejection by the authorities (for example, if the word “torture” were used). The subsequent description of the facts leaves no doubt as to what is meant (see below).