CAT/C/CMR/CO/4 16. The Committee is deeply concerned about the high number of deaths in custody. Statistics provided by the State party show that 178 prisoners died between January and October 2008, and that in 38 of those cases no cause of death was specified. It is equally concerned by reports of excessive use of armed force by the security forces during escape attempts by prisoners (arts. 2, 11 and 16). The State party should take urgent measures to prevent violence between and against prisoners, as well as deaths in custody. It should ensure that all cases of violence and death in custody are the subject of immediate, impartial, thorough and, where appropriate, forensic medical investigation, and that the persons responsible are brought to justice and convicted. It should be made easier for prisoners to lodge complaints. 17. While welcoming the State party’s study aimed at a review of Decree No. 92/52 of 27 March 1992, the Committee is concerned about the use in prisons of chains and solitary confinement as disciplinary measures, which may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (arts. 11 and 16). The Committee encourages the State party to repeal the decree on disciplinary measures in prison and to find methods consistent with the Convention for handling prisoners who pose a security risk. Journalists and human rights defenders 18. The Committee is concerned about allegations that journalists and human rights defenders are the subject of harassment, arbitrary arrest, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and death threats, and that such acts go unpunished. Although taking note of the detailed information supplied by the State party and, in particular, of the administrative investigation into the death in custody, on 22 April 2010, of the journalist Mr. Germain Cyrille Ngota (also known as Bibi Ngota) the Committee is concerned about the high number of journalists and human rights defenders who have been imprisoned and about allegations of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It is also concerned about reports that the security forces put down demonstrations by journalists who were protesting over the circumstances of the death in custody of a journalist (arts. 2, 11, 12 and 16). The State party should take effective measures to put an end to the harassment, arbitrary arrest, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and death threats to which journalists and human rights defenders are exposed, and to prevent further acts of violence. In addition, it should ensure that a thorough and effective inquiry is carried out quickly and that the perpetrators of such acts are duly punished. Moreover, the Committee joins the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its call for a thorough forensic medical investigation into the death of the journalist Mr. Ngota in Kondengui prison. Events of February 2008 19. The Committee takes note of the investigations into the events of February 2008 and of the report drawn up in 2009, although it has not received a copy. It also notes the administrative inquiry made into allegations of human rights violations, especially the right to life, by security forces, which concluded that they had acted in self-defence. However, the Committee is concerned about credible reports from a variety of sources alleging that the security forces have carried out, against adults and children, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and violations of the right to a fair trial. It is also concerned about the lack of thorough individual, impartial and forensic medical investigations of alleged extrajudicial killings GE.10-42570 5