E/CN.4/1994/31 page 115 He was detained in the civil prison of Tunis, where he could be visited by his family, and was being treated normally, in accordance with the 1988 prison regulations. The fears expressed in this regard were, therefore, unjustified. Turkey Information transmitted to the Government and replies received 550. By letter dated 29 October 1993 the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that he had received information according to which persons suspected of both ordinary and politically motivated crimes were routinely tortured in police interrogation centres throughout the country while being held in incommunicado detention. Despite legal provisions granting that detainees should have immediate access to attorneys in practice lawyers were usually denied such visits. It was also reported that, according to the law, ordinary criminal suspects could be detained for 24 hours for individual crimes and for up to 8 days for collective crimes before being brought before a court; this period, however, was extended to 30 days in cases of political suspects in the region under emergency legislation. According to the sources these circumstances constituted a major factor in the continued use of torture and ill-treatment. The individual cases referred to in the following paragraphs were communicated to the Government. 551. Soner Önder, a 17-year-old student, was arrested in Istanbul following an arson attack carried out in the name of the illegal Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) on 25 December 1991 in Istanbul. He was reportedly taken to Istanbul police headquarters, where he was interrogated at the anti-terror branch until 8 January 1992, when he was formally arrested by the Istanbul State Security Court and sent to Bayrampasa prison. It was also reported that although he had signed a confession stating that he was a member of an armed organization and that he was responsible for several crimes he did so while he was blindfolded and without knowledge of its contents because he had been subjected to torture, including falaka (beating the soles of the feet), electric shocks, hanging by the arms and squeezing the testicles. 552. Mehmet Gökalp, representative of the Human Rights Association in Derik, was among a group of persons arrested following the funeral in Derik on 25 February 1992 of a member of PKK. He was taken to the Derik gendarmerie where he was alleged to have been hung up by his wrists with his arms tied behind his back, given electric shocks and hosed with water. 553. Servet Sayan was reportedly subjected to torture while being interrogated in March 1992 at the Second (Criminal) Branch of Istanbul police headquarters. Methods included suspension by the arms and being beaten on the testicles with a stick. After the family had lodged a formal complaint to the public prosecutor in April 1992, two members were threatened by the police. 554. Kadir Kurt was arrested on 19 April 1992 in Birik village, district of Bismil near Diyarbakir, and taken for interrogation to the gendarmerie battalion headquarters where he died the same night due to internal bleeding caused by pressure on the lungs from a broken sternum. His brother,