Give us more time, says barrister

Torture claimants should get an independent opinion of their mental health and their lawyers need more time to prepare their cases, a barrister experienced in handling torture claims said.

This will give them better protection and credibility because many claimants suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder and cannot remember many events and may not recall incidents in order, said Robert Tibbo, who is also a non-executive director of Vision First.

An independent report can support their evidence, "as interviewers invariably do not believe what they say", he said.

As the Legislative Council starts a discussion to revamp the refugee status screening mechanism today, Tibbo has urged officials to set up a panel of mental health professionals comprising psychologists, psychiatrists and forensic pathologists.

The panel should be independent of the Immigration Department, which assesses the torture claims, he said.

The law required duty lawyers representing a torture claimant to prepare a case within 28 days on receiving a referral but this was inherently unfair, he added.