E/CN.4/1997/7 page 41 Senegal 179. The Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received reports indicating that members of the police deliberately resorted to physical violence in the hours or days that followed the arrest of persons. It appeared that their purpose was to obtain confessions, and that the victims were both ordinary law detainees as well as political detainees, particularly those accused in connection with the conflict in Casamance. 180. It would appear that several gendarmes and police officers were arrested at Dakar during 1995 as a result of complaints of torture and ill-treatment. In general, however, the authorities allegedly showed very little zeal in opening an inquiry and impunity was widespread in the absence of an exhaustive investigation. Moreover, it was said that allegations of torture were not investigated and that confessions obtained in that way were taken into account in convicting the accused. These practices were allegedly facilitated by the existence of a procedure under which suspects could be held in custody incommunicado for a maximum period of four days. In the case of acts involving State security, the period of initial detention incommunicado could be extended to eight days. It was said that even this period was in some cases once again extended illegally. It was during the period of detention incommunicado, when the suspect had access neither to a lawyer nor sometimes to a doctor, that the great majority of cases of ill-treatment occurred. 181. In addition to the above the Special Rapporteur transmitted four individual as well as one collective case. He also retransmitted one case updated with additional information received from the sources. Slovakia 182. The Special Rapporteur transmitted one case, to which the Government provided a reply. Spain 183. The Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received reports indicating that the manner in which forensic physicians carried out examinations of detainees was sometimes irregular. It was reported that these examinations were frequently superficial, did not take due account of the individual's physical and mental condition, and were not always carried out in private, i.e. without the presence of police officers. In addition, cases had occurred in which these physicians' reports had contradicted reports prepared by other physicians whom the detainees had consulted on their own initiative. The reports on Spain prepared by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture were said to contain examples of this situation, on which the Committee had issued recommendations. 184. In addition to the above the Special Rapporteur transmitted two newly reported cases and asked the Government for further information regarding four others. The Government replied to all of them.