E/CN.4/1998/38 page 34 165. Torture and ill-treatment had also been reported to occur on a wide scale within the armed forces, where senior soldiers and commanding officers were often alleged to mistreat young recruits without the authorities taking appropriate remedial measures. Besides the soldiers' poor living conditions, reports had emphasized the continuing occurrence of torture methods such as withholding food, rape, beatings and other humiliating and degrading punishments. 166. The information received suggested that prompt, effective and impartial investigations had often not been carried out by the authorities, with the result that those responsible were rarely said to be prosecuted. Where perpetrators had been sentenced, penalties had in several cases been considered comparatively light. To some extent existing legislation, allowing, inter alia, for prolonged pre-trial detention, was still said to create favourable conditions for the occurrence of torture and ill-treatment. 167. The Special Rapporteur also transmitted to the Government 28 cases, some of them collective, on behalf of 43 identified individuals, a group of four unnamed persons and a number of unnamed prisoners and soldiers. He further sought follow-up information regarding the developments in a number of cases submitted in 1995 to which replies had been received. In addition, the Special Rapporteur retransmitted two cases to which no reply had been received. The Government replied to a number of cases transmitted in 1996. Follow-up to the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur subsequent to his visit to the Russian Federation 168. The Special Rapporteur visited the Russian Federation from 17 to 28 July 1994. His report on that mission is contained in document E/CN.4/1995/34/Add.1. During 1995 and 1996, the Government had informed the Special Rapporteur of measures that had been or were to be taken pursuant to the recommendations in his report (see E/CN.4/1996/35, paras. 142-148 and E/CN.4/1997/7, paras. 172-175). During the present reporting period, the Government continued to inform the Special Rapporteur about such measures. Thus, it reported that, on 14 June 1997, the President of the Russian Federation issued decree No. 593 concerning the repeal of certain presidential decisions and transmitted a copy of the decree. In particular, the decree provided, in connection with the adoption of the new Criminal Code, for the repeal of presidential decree No. 1226 of 14 June 1994 under which the law enforcement agencies were authorized to apprehend and hold citizens under arrest for a period of up to 30 days on suspicion of having committed a serious crime, without bringing charges, without any preventive measures having been decreed and in the absence of a judicial warrant. 169. On 3 September 1997, the Government advised the Special Rapporteur that, on 8 July 1997, the Government had adopted decision No. 833 on the establishment of minimum standards of nutrition and living conditions for persons sentenced to deprivation of liberty. The purpose of the decision was to improve the conditions of detention of prisoners in conformity with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of prisoners.