authorities before, during and after the invasion and with what result; what cooperation the Government had given in order to open the common graves allegedly found in various places and to compensate the victims’ relatives; what the rules and regulations were governing the use of firearms by the whether there had been any violations of those police and security forces: rules and regulations and, if so, what measures had been taken to prevent their recurrence; what steps had been taken to expand public health facilities what was the current rate of and health care, particularly in rural areas; infant mortality and what measures had been taken to reduce that rate: and what had been done by the Panamanian Government to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. 431. Members of the Committee also wished to know what the number of casualties was resulting from the 1987 riots and the events of December 1989: whether excessive use of force by members of the police, army or invading troops in those cases had been investigated; whether the offenders could be held criminally liable under local criminal jurisdiction: whether a special office had been set up to handle questions from the family members of persons who had died in December 1989: what regulations governed police conduct and whether they were in conformity with the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials; whether Panama had independent machinery for investigating the us8 of excessive force by police officers: and whether the Panamanian situation had ever been reviewed by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances or the Special Rapporteur on Summary In addition, it was asked when Panamanian abortion laws Executions. considered life to begin; what was the environmental policy of Panama; whether Panama had a drug problem and what steps had been taken to discourage drug trafficking: whether any measures had been taken to control the spread of HIV infection by prostitutes: and whether the Government was seeking to create jobs for the poverty-stricken sectors of Panamanian society. 432. In reply to questions posed by members of the Committee, the representative said that cases of disappearances and killings involving members of the armed forces had been investigated and it had been proposed to establish a special prosecutor’s office to investigate such cases. It was hoped that new regulations relating to the use of weapons by police and security forces would soon be introduced. Most endemic tropical diseases and infectious parasitic diseases had been brought under control. The infant mortality rate stood at 26 per 1,000 live births. Measures to prevent the spread of AIDS focused on a public information campaign, including publicity about the use of condoms. A special problem relating to drugs was that Panama served as a transit point between North and South America. The financial reserves of the public health system had been depleted and the Government was taking steps to restore the health insurance system. 433. Responding to other questions, the representative said that the Office of the Attorney-General had responsibility for investigating deaths and disappearances and other human rights violations that had occurred over the past 21 years. The actual number of deaths and disappearances seemed, in reality, to be rather low. Over 60 per cent of young people in Panama used drugs. The Government was taking actinn on a range of drug-related problems and was achieving progress. Abortion was an offence under the Criminal Code punishable by imprisonment. Both the women involved and those performing abortions were frequently punished. Prostitutes were required to undergo medical examinations every three months. -108-