and Peoples' Rights deliberated on the importance of the Istanbul Protocol during its 32nd ordinary session in October 2002 and concluded that investigations of all allegations of torture or ill-treatment, shall be conducted promptly, impartially and effectively, and be guided by the Istanbul Principles. The European Union has referred to the Istanbul Protocol in its Guidelines to EU Policy towards Third Countries on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment adopted by the General Affairs Council in 2001. The EU guidelines mention that states should “conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations of all allegations of torture in accordance with the Istanbul Rules annexed to CHR resolution 2000/43” and should “establish and operate effective domestic procedures for responding to and investigating complaints and reports of torture and ill-treatment in accordance with the Istanbul Rules.” Other institutions and organisations have reiterated the UN and other bodies’ recommendations in their reports, statements, and comments (including the Advisory Council of Jurists and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions). These references can roughly be summarised into three categories: References that cite the Istanbul Protocol as a useful tool in the efforts to combat torture and strongly encourage governments to reflect upon the principles contained in the Protocol; References that stress that all investigations and documentation of torture allegations should be conducted promptly, impartially and effectively, and be guided by the Istanbul Principles; References that say that states should establish and operate effective domestic procedures for the investigation and documentation of torture allegations in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol. References See also Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (2006) Physicians for Human Rights International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Center for Victims of Torture Freedom from Torture Minnesota Protocol Further reading Istanbul Protocol – Web page Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (English) Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (Arabic) Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (Chinese) Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (French) Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (Spanish) Istanbul Protocol – PDF file (Catalan) External links Physicians for Human Rights Human Rights Foundation of Turkey International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Turkish Medical Association (Turkish) Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Human Rights Council The Center for Victims of Torture Human rights instruments Anti-torture laws 1999 in international relations 1999 in Turkey