E/CN.4/1994/31 page 10 such "procedures and mechanisms should be enabled to harmonize and rationalize their work through periodic meetings", the Special Rapporteur looks forward to the holding of such meetings. 21. Also, pursuant to Commission resolution 1993/40, paragraph 16 (see para. 18 above), the Special Rapporteur held a formal meeting with the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. He assured the Board that he would continue his predecessor’s support for its work, encourage contributions to its resources and disseminate, as appropriate, information on its work to those that could benefit from the assistance it offers. 22. The Special Rapporteur was also mindful of Commission resolution 1993/41, entitled "Human rights in the administration of justice", in which it invited the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to explore ways and means of cooperating with the human rights programme in the field of the administration of justice, with special emphasis on the effective implementation of norms and standards. 23. He therefore accepted an invitation to attend the second session of that Commission, where he stressed the importance of norms and standards adopted in the criminal justice field for his own work. Of particular relevance were the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1955), the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1975) and the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (1979). The decision of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to treat the Standard Minimum Rules as one of the instruments the implementation of which would be subject to immediate review was gratifying to the Special Rapporteur. The Special Rapporteur believes that he should be enabled to attend subsequent sessions of that Commission. II. INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS COUNTRIES Algeria Information transmitted to the Government and replies received 24. By letter dated 26 August 1993 the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received reports according to which the new anti-terrorist act, which entered into force in October 1992, extended the period of police detention (during which the prisoner is held incommunicado without contact with his family or his lawyer) from 48 hours to 12 days. This situation was allegedly creating conditions conducive to torture and ill-treatment, which were said to be practised systematically in some detention centres. The individual cases described in the following paragraphs were transmitted to the Government. 25. Nadir Hammoudi was allegedly arrested at his home in central Algiers on 9 October 1992 by members of the security forces. He was said to have been subjected to torture during the 29 days he spent in police custody.