Communication No. 21/1995 Submitted by: Ismail Alan [represented by counsel] Alleged victim: The author State party: Switzerland Date of communication: 31 January 1995 The Committee against Torture, established under article 17 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Meeting on 8 May 1996, Having concluded its consideration of communication No. 21/1995, submitted to the Committee against Torture on behalf of Mr. Ismail Alan under article 22 of the Convention, Having taken into account all information made available to it by the author of the communication, his counsel and the State party, Adopts the following: Views under article 22, paragraph 7, of the Convention 1. The author of the communication is Ismail Alan, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish background, born on 1 January 1962, currently residing in Switzerland. He claims to be a victim of a violation by Switzerland of article 3 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He is represented by counsel. The facts as submitted 2.1 Since 1978, the author has been a sympathizer of KAWA, an outlawed Kurdish Marxist-Leninist organization. In 1981, the author was arrested for the first time. He claims that he was tortured and interrogated about his organizational activities. After nine days, he was released. In June 1983, while fulfilling his military service, the author was once again arrested. He claims that he was brutally tortured during 36 days. He states that he was subjected to electric shocks. 2.2 On 30 April 1984, he was sentenced to 8 years and 4 months of imprisonment, plus 2 years and 10 days of internal exile, for being an active member of KAWA. His conviction was quashed by the Court of Cassation, on 17 October 1984, and a retrial was ordered. On 5 November 1984, the military tribunal of Elazig sentenced the author to two and a half years’ imprisonment and 10 months’ internal exile in Izmir, for having assisted militants of KAWA. During his internal exile in Izmir he had to present himself to the police every day. Eventually, the author found a job and bought a house in Izmir. 2.3 The author claims that he was arrested several times in 1988 and 1989 and kept in detention for short periods of time, not over six days, because of his political activities (distribution of flyers). The author claims that during these periods of detention, he was put under pressure to denounce his friends. -68-