Þ         First, it helps to verify the fact whether the person(s) was really tortured by the law enforcing agencies.

Þ         Secondly, it helps to establish contact with the torture-survivors and encourages them to take the treatment facility provided by BRCT.

Þ         Thirdly, it helps to make an impartial report and to submit it to the relevant   government authorities soliciting proper action for justice.

Procedure of Fact-finding:

Fact-finding missions are crucial in order to validate the accusation.  The procedure consists of a four party investigation, a model developed by Akram H. Chowdhury in 1986:

¯ The 1st Party: victim, victim’s family members, relatives and neighbors

¯ The 2nd Party: perpetrators and their authority

¯ The 3rd Party: witnesses and medico-legal professionals

¯ The 4th Party: authorities, officials and administrators/Ministers.

BRCT fact-finding team collects authentic information from the above-mentioned four parties through interviewing people to prepare a fair and impartial report. BRCT has been conducting fact-finding missions on the incidences of custodial-torture and any other torture and death caused by torture and rape.

Reporting involves compiling statements of the four parties. The fact-finding team will then scrutinize the report and provide observations followed by recommendations.  If they find the complaint to be legitimate, an urgent appeal is sent to the ministry of home affairs and/or to the inspector general of the police.  A copy of the urgent appeal is also provided to the victim and the perpetrator. In some cases where the government refuses to cooperate, an international urgent appeal is issued to an organization such as Amnesty International or the Asian Human Rights Commission.  Fact-finding is normally conducted by a separate organization but at BRCT it has moved from being center based to a responsibility at the grassroots level.

It is seen that fact-finding process contributes to a lot to the society, to not only the victims but also the other members of the society. Fact finding process is the major way for the victims to reach BRCT to stand beside them in the dire-crisis. Since it’s very inception BRCT defines the target group by Fact Finding process to determine the true victims and get the opportunity to develop a network for the tortured community to be counseled. Fact finders find out the true tortured victims. They stand first beside them to counsel how they would get legal aid or social justice against the torturer. Fact finders try to influence awareness against such ill treatment as preventive measure.

Fact-finding activities evolved by BRCT would let to develop in the locality to find the torture survivors accurately. It would help police to prepare investigation report flawlessly.  It develops wide range of fact-finding network. It would be used as a tool for Community based counseling. At the same time BRCT has already transferred the capacity of conducting fact-finding to it’s all TFT members, Networks and to others professionals who are involved with the activities of BRCT through providing training and practical assignments on fact-finding.

In order to raise awareness about these issues, signatures are collected from people who are witnesses or have intimate knowledge about the case in a signature campaign, and the information is published in local newspapers. Fact-finding is a weapon against false allegations and can be used to boast the morale of victims and their families.

Approximately 20% of cases turn out to be false and in these cases, the TFT and BRCT gain the trust and respect of the law enforcement community.  Otherwise it assists in building a case against the perpetrator while establishing a connection and trust with the TOV.