A/HRC/22/53/Add.4 Russian Federation (a) AL 11/06/2012 Case No. RUS 3/2012 State reply: None to date Alleged ill-treatment while in detention and use of prolonged solitary confinement as punishment. 115. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of the Russian Federation has not responded to this communication dated 11 June 2012, thereby failing to cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council. The communication referred to the alleged systematic beating and intimidation of Mr. X while held in a minimum security prison, and reported solitary confinement of Mr. X that may have amounted to one year. Furthermore, the communication referred to the forced feeding of Mr. X while tied up for 19 hours in response to his hunger strike. The Special Rapporteur expresses serious concern of the physical and mental integrity of Mr. X in light of allegations of the use of prolonged solitary confinement and systematic beatings. In this context, the Special Rapporteur reiterates paragraph b of the Human Rights Council Resolution 16/23, which urges States “[t]o take persistent, determined and effective measures to have all allegations of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment investigated promptly, effectively and impartially by an independent, competent domestic authority, as well as whenever there is reasonable ground to believe that such an act has been committed; to hold persons who encourage, order, tolerate or perpetrate such acts responsible, to have them brought to justice and punished in a manner commensurate with the gravity of the offense, including the officials in charge of the place of where the prohibited act is found to have been committed.” With respect to the use of prolonged solitary confinement, the Special Rapporteur reiterates that paragraph 6 of General Comment No. 20 of the Human Rights Committee, which provides that “prolonged solitary confinement of the detained or imprisoned person may amount to acts prohibited by article 7 [on the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment] of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In light of the fact that no evidence has been provided to the contrary, the Special Rapporteur is of the view that the rights of Mr. X under the UN Convention against Torture have been violated. The Special Rapporteur calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to undertake a prompt, impartial, and effective investigation of the alleged acts of torture, leading to prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators, and to provide redress to the victims. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to abolish the practice of solitary confinement as a punishment. Saudi Arabia (a) JUA 06/01/2012 Case No. SAU 1/2012 State reply: None to date Alleged torture and sentence of amputation 116. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Saudi Arabia has not responded to this communication, thereby failing to cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council. The communication referred to the alleged torture and sentence of amputation of Mr. Iyada, as well as the sentence of amputation of five other people. The Special Rapporteur reiterates that paragraph 1 of Human Rights Council Resolution 16/23, “Condemns all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including through intimidation, which are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever and can thus never be justified, and calls upon all States to implement fully the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” In addition, the Special Rapporteur notes that the Committee against Torture on Saudi Arabia expresses concern about “(t)he sentencing to, and imposition of, corporal punishments by judicial and administrative authorities, including, in particular, flogging and amputation of limbs, that are not in 64