E/CN.4/2003/68/Add.2 page 13 Committee had indicated that it was “gravely concerned about consistent allegations of widespread torture, inhuman treatment and abuse of power by law enforcement officials. The Committee is also concerned about the limited number of investigations into allegations of torture” (CCPR/CO/71/U2B, para. 7). 1. Treatment of criminal suspects 39. During the mission, the Special Rapporteur gathered numerous detailed and consistent testimonies from alleged victims and their relatives, only a limited number of which are reproduced in appendix II, as most individuals concerned refused to have their names and stories made public for fear of reprisals. The testimonies mostly refer to confessions extracted under torture and other forms of ill-treatment, almost invariably coupled with a denial of access to lawyers and relatives. These testimonies, as well as the lack of definitive, consistent and precise interpretations of existing legal safeguards, which appear to be rarely respected in practice, to a great extent substantiate the allegations and concerns referred to above. 40. According to the information received from non-governmental sources, torture is being used in virtually all cases in which articles 156, 159 and 244 CC (see appendix I) are invoked, in order to extract self-incriminating confessions and to punish those who are perceived by public authorities to be involved in either religious, or political, activities contrary to State interests (so-called security crimes). These provisions, which are rather vaguely worded and whose scope of application may be subject to various interpretations, are said to have been used in numerous allegedly fabricated cases and to have led to harsh prison sentences. The four crimes that, following recent amendments, are now the only capital offences are said to lead to a death sentence only if they are combined with aggravated murder charges. Evidence gathering in such cases is said to rely exclusively on confessions extracted by illegal means. It is reported that religious leaflets as well as weapons or bullets have been planted as evidence that a person belongs to banned groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a transnational Islamic movement which calls for the peaceful establishment of the Caliphate in Central Asia. It is also reported that torture and ill-treatment continue to be used against inmates convicted on such charges, inter alia to force them to write repentance letters to the President of the Republic or to punish them further. 41. As illustrated by numerous cases presented in appendix II, the Special Rapporteur believes that illegal methods of investigations are not restricted to the categories of suspect mentioned above. Suspected ordinary criminals are likewise subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment, mainly with a view to extracting self-incriminating confessions, obtaining bribes and punishing them. 42. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur has received information according to which persons belonging to sexual minorities have been subjected to various forms of torture, including of a sexual nature, and harassment, and to have been arbitrarily detained with a view to threatening or punishing them and to obtaining bribes. Temporary/casual workers who offer their services on a day-by-day basis in marketplaces are also believed to have been targeted. Casual workers, including female sex workers, have allegedly been beaten or raped if they could not pay bribes. Asylum-seekers are also believed to be at risk of being forcibly returned to countries where they may be at risk of torture (refoulement) and concern was expressed over the fact that Uzbekistan has not ratified the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.