E/CN.4/1994/31
page 16
Bolivia
Information received from the Government with respect to cases included in
previous reports
52.
On 9 December 1992 the Government transmitted its reply with
respect to the alleged torture in April 1992 of Alvaro García Linera,
Raquel Gutiérrez de García, Víctor Ortiz and Macario Tola. According to the
Government, once the persons accused of terrorism were imprisoned, their
families went to the prisons together with a commission composed of human
rights representatives. They later declared that the detainees showed signs
on their bodies of having been given electric shocks and having been brutally
tortured, and that they even had holes in their fingernails made by nails. In
view of such statements, the Ministry of the Interior had convened members of
the press, human rights representatives, relatives and members of the medical
profession and urged them to visit the prisons to make impartial eyewitness
checks. However, the relatives and members of human rights organizations had
not taken part in the visit.
53.
During the visit, evidence had been found only of burns on the hands of
Raquel Gutiérrez de García and not on other parts of her body, as stated
before; the burns were the result of the two suicide attempts she had made
while in detention; in the first attempt, she had stuck her fingers into the
electric light socket and, in the second, she had pulled the wires out of the
electric sprinkler system while it was being cleaned; she had been saved both
times by the police in charge of her custody; she had confirmed the two
attempts in her statements to the press and to the judge hearing the case.
54.
With regard to Alvaro García Linera, Victor Ortíz and Macario Tola, the
visiting commission found no evidence that they had been tortured, as was
evident from the medical certificates issued by the forensic physician
appointed by the judiciary. The complaints of torture had been made solely
for the purpose of media publicity, since it was not possible to prove them
scientifically or professionally.
55.
The Special Rapporteur transmitted the information provided by the
Government to the source and asked for its comments. The latter reiterated
that the four above-mentioned persons had alleged that they had been severely
tortured. On 21 April 1992 representatives of non-governmental organizations
had visited Alvaro García Linera, Macario Tola and Víctor Ortiz in Chonchocoro
prison and seen marks on their bodies consistent with their allegations of
torture. The source also provided a report containing the description made by
Raquel Gutiérrez de García of the torture to which she had been subjected and
stating that as a result of it she had attempted to commit suicide.
Brazil
Information transmitted to the Government and replies received
56.
On 18 November 1993 the Special Rapporteur transmitted to the Government
the individual cases described in the following paragraphs.
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