Detective Superintendent Asbjørn Rachlew, PhD, is one of the most well-known personalities among police officers in Europe. In the past, we have had the great opportunity to publish his thoughts on the prevention of torture in law enforcement through the introduction of the procedural interview methodology into the practices of police services around the world.
Today, many police services around the world are guided by the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering, which were created at the initiative of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Prevention of Torture, Juan Méndez (the Méndez Principles).
In October 2016, Professor Juan Méndez called on experts to support the preparation of his thematic report to the UN General Assembly.
Asbjørn Rachlew was one of the experts who submitted his proposals, and his thoughts and the research underpinning it were later used as the basis for the Mendez Principles.
Grounded in science, law and ethics, the Méndez Principles offer a concrete alternative to coercive interrogation techniques to extract confessions. They provide guidance on how to obtain accurate and reliable information with full respect for the rights and dignity of each individual, including through the application of legal and procedural safeguards in the first hours of police custody. These principles aim to transform the relationship between states and their citizens. They are intended to change the way state authorities conduct interrogations and, as a result, increase trust in the state.
We are very pleased to take this opportunity to publish Asbjørn Rachlew’s historically important letter to the UN Special Rapporteur, as it was in this letter that the ideas were formulated, which received further global impetus for the introduction of new methods aimed at preventing torture in police work.
Dmytro Yagunov 