A/HRC/25/60/Add.2 torture, of those returned from the UK. In light of these allegations, the Special Rapporteur requested that the Government provide information regarding the steps taken in verifying the Country of Origin reports, whether those returned are monitored to ensure they are not subject to torture, whether investigations are conducted once torture is alleged, and any other steps taken by the Government to ensure the fulfillment of their obligations under Article 3 of CAT. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the Government’s extensive reply to these allegations in which they cited several investigations into mistreatment of asylum seekers returned to the DRC. The Government claims the result of the investigation shows little credibility in reports of the DRC targeting asylum seekers, and they use this conclusion, along with no substantive reports of abuse made to their embassy in Kinshasa, to dismiss these allegations as unfounded. The Government further provides that country conditions are not singularly determined through use of the Country of Information Report, but instead are determined through multiple sources of information including civil society, past asylum seekers, and local media. While the Special Rapporteur is encouraged by investigations conducted into these allegations and others, he stresses the Government’s obligation under Article 3 of CAT, in particular paragraph 9 of General Comment No. 20 on the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in which the Human Rights Committee states that State parties “must not expose individuals to the danger of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment upon return to another country by way of extradition, expulsion or refoulement.” Should the Government encounter credible information indicating that asylum seekers returned to the DRC are subjected to mistreatment, the Special Rapporteur calls on the Government to take corrective action in their return procedures. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to take the utmost care in the dissemination of information to immigration officials in DRC, specifically information that could allow DRC officials to target returning asylees who may have been politically active while abroad. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to continue its ongoing engagement with the mandate. United States of America (a) AL 18/03/2013 Case No. USA 3/2013 State Reply: 05/08/2013 Alleged prolonged solitary confinement in New York state prisons, compromising prisoner mental and physical health. 167. The Special Rapporteur thanks the government of the United States for its reply, dated 5 May 2013, to this communication in reference to alleged use of solitary confinement in New York State prisons. The communication referred to the alleged practices throughout New York state prisons that subject thousands of incarcerated persons to prolonged solitary confinement, other extreme isolation practices, and inhuman or degrading conditions in detention, including the denial of adequate medical treatment. In particular, Mr. William Blake, Mr. Stephan Poole and Mr. Kenneth Wright have been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement. According to the information received, in 39 prisons across New York State, nearly 4,500 prisoners are held in isolation cells, or Special Housing Units (SHUs). Reportedly, prisoners in SHUs are deprived of all meaningful human contact, including telephone calls, recreational activities, or rehabilitation programs. It is also reported that inmates in SHUs are frequently deprived of basic necessities such as food, exercise, and basic hygiene and that they experience difficulties in obtaining adequate medical treatment. Mr. William Blake has been incarcerated in a SHU, held in a barren concrete cell with no furnishings other than a steel bed frame for 25 consecutive years. Mr. Stephan Poole received a sentence of 36 months in the SHU for allegedly planning an escape. In the eight years and nine months prior, he had allegedly received no reports of misbehavior. Mr. Poole has reportedly accumulated additional lengthy SHU sentences for non-violent prison infractions, including refusing to return a food tray. He has allegedly 122