CAT/C/KGZ/CO/2 to have substantiated Mr. Askarov’s allegations of torture in police custody, and have confirmed resulting injuries including persistent visual loss, traumatic brain injury, and spinal injury. Information before the Committee suggests that Mr. Askarov’s complaints of torture have been raised on numerous occasions with the Prosecutor’s office, as well as with the Kyrgyz Ombudsman’s office, and with Bazar-Korgon District Court, the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court. To date, however, the State party’s authorities have declined to open a full investigation into his claims, relying on allegedly coerced statements made by Mr. Askarov while in police custody that he had no complaints. The Committee understands that the State party is presently considering the possibility of further investigating these claims. The Committee is concerned by the State party’s refusal to undertake full investigations into allegations of torture regarding other cases raised during the review, including those of Nargiza Turdieva and Dilmurat Khaidarov (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). As a matter of urgency, the State party should: (a) undertake a full, effective and independent investigation into the claims of torture made by Azimjan Askarov; (b) ensure that Azimjan Askarov receives adequate medical care; and (c) review the grounds for his continued detention in light of his allegations. The State party should also ensure that torture claims made by Nargiza Turdieva and Dilmurat Khaidarov are fully, impartially and effectively investigated. 8. The Committee remains concerned at the lack of full and effective investigations into the numerous allegations that members of the law enforcement bodies committed torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and excessive use of force during and following the inter-ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010. The Committee is concerned by reports that investigations, prosecutions, condemnations and sanctions imposed in relation to the June 2010 events were mostly directed against persons of Uzbek origin, as noted by sources including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in 2013 (CERD/C/KGZ/CO/5-7, paras. 6–7). The Committee further regrets the lack of information provided by the State party on the outcome of the review of 995 criminal cases relating to the June 2010 violence (arts. 4, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should take effective measures to ensure that all allegations of torture or ill-treatment, related to the June 2010 violence, by security or law enforcement officials are fully and impartially investigated, and that the officials responsible are prosecuted. In particular, the State party should ensure that: (a) A thorough and impartial review of 995 criminal cases related to the June 2010 violence is conducted, and, when appropriate, proceedings are reopened in cases in which torture allegations have not been fully investigated or in which serious violations of due process rights have been revealed; (b) Security or law enforcement officials found responsible are subjected to disciplinary and/or criminal penalties for torture and ill-treatment; and (c) Allegations of any public official’s infliction of, ordering of, or acquiescence to torture or ill-treatment against ethnic Uzbeks is fully and effectively investigated and, as appropriate, prosecuted. Fundamental legal safeguards 9. The Committee expresses its serious concern at the State party’s failure to afford to all persons deprived of their liberty, especially those held in pretrial detention, all fundamental legal safeguards, as described in the Committee’s general comment no. 2 (2007) on implementation of article 2 by States parties (paras. 13–14), from the outset of deprivation of liberty. The Committee is particularly concerned at reports that detainees are frequently denied access to an independent lawyer of their choice, that police officers 4