CAT/C/29/D/193/2001 page 11 the Convention, as well as official tolerance on the part of the authorities. The practice of torture and ill-treatment has been corroborated in numerous reports on Spain by international bodies over many years, and persists to the present day. In its conclusions relating to the supplementary report of Spain, the Committee against Torture expressed its concern at “the increase in the number of complaints of torture and ill-treatment, at delays in the processing of such complaints and at the impunity of a number of perpetrators of torture”. As the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture emphasized, “it would be premature to conclude that the phenomenon of torture and severe ill-treatment had been eradicated” in Spain. 3.5.13 The risks of torture and ill-treatment are also corroborated by many recent reports from international bodies concerning Spain: • The views and recommendations of the Human Rights Committee during its consideration of reports submitted by Spain under article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; • The reports of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) concerning visits to Spain, issued on 4 March 1996 and 12 April 2000. In its reports, CPT notes that torture and other very severe forms of ill-treatment are still practised, particularly by the members of the Civil Guard against Basque nationals suspected of belonging to or collaborating with ETA. In the report prepared between 22 November and 4 December 1998, CPT notes that “those allegations involved blows to various parts of the body and, in some cases, more serious forms of physical ill-treatment, including sexual assault of female detainees by male police officers, and asphyxiation by placing a plastic bag over the head”. In certain cases, the reports include medical certificates consistent with the victims’ allegations; • The reports of Mr. Kooijmans and Mr. Rodley, United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the question of torture; • The views of the Committee against Torture during its consideration of periodic reports submitted by Spain under article 19 of the Convention. Moreover, on 9 November 1999, the Committee against Torture communicated its views concerning communication No. 118/1998 submitted by the complainant, Josu Arkauz Arana, under article 22 of the United Nations Convention against Torture, against France. • Reports prepared by Amnesty International, the Association for the Prevention of Torture, the World Organization against Torture, and International Prison Watch. Moreover, it should be pointed out that, in 1990, the Government of Spain broke its agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which permitted ICRC to visit political detainees in Spain, particularly many Basque prisoners. In spite of the many requests made to the Spanish authorities, those authorities have not yet re-established the agreement.