A proper medical examination shall be offered to a detained or imprisoned person as promptly as possible after his admission to the place of detention or imprisonment, and thereafter medical care and treatment shall be provided whenever necessary. This care and treatment shall be provided free of charge. 10. An individual for whom the language of interrogation is not his or her first language or who is deaf, should always (and before any interrogation) be informed of his or her right to have a competent and impartial interpreter for any interrogation. 11. If there are any issues about the person’s understanding of his or her rights or of the interrogation process or of any questions asked, an interpreter should be provided, whether requested by the person being interrogated or not. Interpreters should also be available in detention facilities so that a person’s basic needs can be communicated. 12. Before any interrogation commences, the interrogated person should be informed (in a manner that is understandable to him or her) of the reason for the interrogation and any charges against him or her. Commentary Article 14(3)(a) of the ICCPR provides that, in the determination of any criminal charge, a person has the right to be informed promptly and in detail in a language which he or she understands of the nature and cause of the charge or charges against him or her. Article 14(3)(f) of the ICCPR provides that an accused person must have the free assistance of an interpreter if he or she cannot understand or speak the language used in court. A necessary corollary is that a person must be told of the reason for any interrogation and that the interrogation must be conducted in a language that is understandable to him or her. 41 Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988. 42 See also rule 24 of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, held at Geneva in 1955, and approved 59