E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 125 Syrian Arab Republic Information transmitted to the Government and replies received 663. By letter dated 31 July 1995 the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that he had received information indicating that the torture of persons detained for political reasons in the country was systematic. Emergency legislation brought into force in 1963 allowed for the preventive detention of persons suspected of endangering public security and order. These powers were said to be exercised outside any judicial control by a number of security branches, most often by al-Amn al-Siyassi (Political Security) and al-Mukhabarat al-’Askariyya (Military Intelligence). Arrests by the security branches were generally made without warrant. Persons arrested by the security branches were said usually to be held incommunicado, without access to lawyers, medical doctors, relatives or the courts. Information as to an arrested person’s place of detention and the reasons for arrest reportedly were not usually communicated to the family. Incommunicado detention was reported to occur for lengths ranging from a few weeks to years. 664. The Supreme State Security Court (SSSC), which deals with political and security cases, reportedly lacks independence from the executive branch. It is accountable only to the Minister of the Interior and does not have the power to supervise the activities of the security forces with respect to the treatment of detainees. The SSSC reportedly admits routinely confessions alleged to have been extracted under torture or ill-treatment. Most of the 500 or more defendants on trial before the SSSC since July 1992 have reportedly stated in court that they had been tortured. None of these persons, however, was known to have been medically examined and no investigations into their allegations were known to have been carried out. 665. Torture is allegedly practised to extract information or "confessions" and as a form of punishment. The methods of torture reported include: falaqa (beating on the soles of the feet); dullab (tyre), whereby the victim is hung from a suspended tyre and beaten with sticks and cables; pouring cold water over the victim’s body; and al-Kursi al-Almani (the German Chair), consisting of bending a metal chair on which the victim is seated so as to cause extension of the spine, severe pressure on the neck and limbs, respiratory difficulties, loss of consciousness and possible fracturing of the vertebrae. 666. The Special Rapporteur communicated the case of ’Ali Kamel Ahmad, who was reportedly arrested on 28 October 1993 in connection with alleged Party for Communist Action (PCA) activities and held incommunicado for four months at the Palestine Branch of Military Intelligence. He was allegedly tortured continuously, including by the German Chair method and by the removal of his fingernails. He suffered broken teeth, a disfigured wrist with the bone protruding, a broken arm, and an injured right ankle as a result of his treatment. He was brought before the SSSC on 31 January 1995, but his trial was postponed. He had reportedly been prevented from submitting to the SSSC a request for a medical examination and a complaint regarding his alleged torture.