E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 106 arrested by the Military Security Command during the period 12 to 14 February 1995. A lawyer had been denied access to them at Military Security Command headquarters in Seoul, where they were being held. Information received from the Government on cases included in previous reports 565. By letter dated 27 July 1995 the Government transmitted a reply to the urgent appeal the Special Rapporteur had transmitted on 21 June 1994 on behalf of Ahn Jae-ku, Ah Young-min, Ryu Nak-jin, Kim Sung-hwan, Kim Jin-bae, Jong Hwa-ryo, Jong Chang-soo, Hong Jong-hee and Park Rae-koon. These persons were arrested on 14 June 1994 by the Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) in connection with alleged activities in support of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea. The Government provided details of their respective cases, including personal data and the charges against them. With respect to torture, the Government stated that the criminal law of the country prohibited acts of torture before, during and after the process of investigation. Officials engaging in such acts would receive severe criminal punishment, confessions obtained through torture were not valid as evidence and victims of torture would be paid compensation. For example, in August 1993 acts of torture against detainee Kim Keun-tae were acknowledged, four police officers involved were arrested and monetary compensation was offered to the victim. With respect to the above-mentioned persons, no problems concerning torture were raised before, during or after their investigation and trial processes. 566. The Government also replied to the cases of Lee Kun-hee and Choi Jin-sop, transmitted by the Special Rapporteur on 29 March 1994. Lee Kun-hee had allegedly been deprived of sleep and repeatedly beaten in ANSP custody following his arrest on 26 September 1992. According to the Government, he had been questioned by the public prosecutor on 7 October 1992 and had stated that no incidents of ill-treatment had occurred. No external wounds were found on him and he did not make any complaints or file any reports of being ill-treated either during or after the period in which his case was being handled. It was also untrue that he had been denied access to his family or lawyer and he had not filed any complaints in this regard. 567. With respect to the case of Choi Jin-sop, who was allegedly tortured in ANSP custody following his arrest on 14 September 1992, he had not reported or filed complaints of ill-treatment during the course of interrogation. In September 1992, the Seoul court accepted the complaint that he was being denied access to his family and lawyer and accordingly decided to allow him such access. At a trial on 20 January 1993, while being questioned by his lawyer, he stated that he had been subjected to ill-treatment, but the allegation was not verified in court. Russian Federation Information transmitted to the Government 568. By letter dated 18 September 1995 the Special Rapporteur Government that he had received reports concerning the alleged ill-treatment of persons in the course of operations conducted forces in the Chechen Republic since December 1994. According informed the torture or by the armed to the reports,