E/CN.4/2001/66 page 35 132. By letter dated 6 April 2000, the Government responded to an urgent appeal sent on 16 March 1999 (E/CN.4/2000/9, para. 107) on behalf of Ali Al Sadadee (real name: Ali Mohamed Ali Fadhel), arrested on 20 February 2000 and released on 26 July, Adnan Seyed Hashem (real name: Adnan Hashim Ali Hussain), arrested on 27 February 1999 and released on 27 July, and Sadeq Al Dirazi (real name: Sadeq Mohamed Jaffar Hussain), arrested on 16 February and still in custody. All were arrested by the regular police after repeated warnings for public incitement. The Government denied all allegations of torture and indicated that all their rights were guaranteed. 133. By letter dated 6 April 2000, the Government responded to an urgent appeal sent on 18 October 1999 (ibid., para. 109) on behalf of Hamid Ali Yousif Yahya (real name: Hameed Ali Yousuf Fatar) and Ismail Isa (real name: Sayed Ismail Eissa Hashim Majid), both arrested on 2 October 1999 and released on 20 March 2000, and Ali Salman (real name: Ali Al Sayed Sulaiman Al Sayed Mohamed), arrested on 3 October 1999 and released on 25 March 2000. They were arrested by the regular police force for incitement and were not mistreated in any way. 134. By letter dated 27 April 2000, the Government responded to an urgent appeal sent on 19 November 1999 (ibid., para. 110) on behalf of a large number of persons arrested in mid-October 1999. Eleven of them have been arrested, of whom two have been released while nine remain in custody. No information was found on 15 of the persons mentioned in the urgent appeal. The Government assured the Special Rapporteur that all were well treated while in custody. Observations 135. The Special Rapporteur appreciates the continuing disposition of the Government to respond to allegations transmitted by him, but finds unhelpful responses consisting of blanket denial of numerous cases, as reflected in paragraphs 123, 126, 128, 130, 132 to 134 above. He regrets that, since his request in 1998 to visit Bahrain, no such invitation has been forthcoming. Under the circumstances, he feels compelled to indicate his assessment of the situation on the basis of the information currently available to him. 136. Over the years, he has received consistent information suggesting the existence of a pattern of torture and cruel treatment, especially in the case of persons suspected by the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) of involvement in politically-motivated offences. The availability of prolonged incomunicado detention, itself a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (as repeatedly affirmed by the Commission), facilitates the possibility of torture and ill-treatment being inflicted and makes denial less credible. The Special Rapporteur is accordingly disposed to believe that an extensive practice of torture and ill-treatment exists in Bahrain, with suspected members of political opposition groups, sometimes pursuing an agenda in furtherance of a brand of religious belief, being particularly at risk. Bangladesh 137. By letter dated 5 October 2000, the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that he had received information on the following individual cases.