E/CN.4/2003/68/Add.2 page 59 Alexandra Yurievna Shigaeva, born in 1987, was reportedly arrested with her parents and her 4-year-old brother, Alexandrovich Vjacheslev Toropovski, on 18 September 2002 in Tashkent by officers from the ROVD of Sereliysk. They are all Russian citizens. They were reportedly taken to the Sergueli district police station in Tashkent, where the parents were accused of intentional murder. Both children were allegedly beaten with a view to making their mother confess the murder. A gas mask was allegedly placed on the children. The boy is said to have been released after 24 hours. On the second day of detention, it is believed that the mother decided to sign a confession because of the beatings she was allegedly subjected to, the worrying health condition of her daughter and threats that the latter would otherwise be raped. The two children were reportedly segregated from their parents during the whole detention. Alexandra Yurievna Shigaeva was allegedly forced to sign, under the threat that her mother would otherwise be killed, a statement according to which she had witnessed her parents committing a murder. She was reportedly held for six days. Both children were reportedly taken back to the Russian Federation by their eldest brother. According to a medical report issued on 23 October 2002 by the Orenburg (Russian Federation) Children’s Trauma hospital, she was diagnosed with a serious brain concussion/trauma, bruises on the chest and a trauma in the lower abdomen, and is said to be still experiencing memory problems with respect to her period of detention. The parents were reported to be still under investigation and are believed to have denied all accusations and to have retracted their confessions as soon as their children had been released. It is reported that their lawyer had access to them for the first time on 21 October during a meeting at the Sergeli District Procurator’s office in the presence of the investigator in the case and representative of the Consulate of the Russian Federation. According to the information received, the lawyer had to appeal to the Tashkent city procurator to have access to her clients as the investigator in the case was refusing to allow such access. She is said to have requested a medical examination by an independent doctor. The lawyer is reported to have had access to the criminal file on 23 October. It is not known when the parents were transferred to Tashturma, but it is believed that they were currently detained there during the visit of the Special Rapporteur. Alexander Yanovich Stopnisky, a Russian citizen, was reportedly arrested on 26 September 2002 in Tashkent on suspicion of theft. It is alleged that in order to break him psychologically, his two boys, aged 4 and 12 respectively, were summoned on two occasions to the Regional IVS of the Ministry of Internal Affairs where they were handcuffed and interrogated. The children are believed to have been threatened with the death of their father. He is said to have been made to witness these interrogation sessions, and to have been beaten on his heels, head and in the area of his kidneys in order to force him to sign a confession. It is also believed that he was tortured with a gas mask. At the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur, he reportedly continued to be held at the Regional IVS of the Ministry of Internal Affairs despite the fact that, according to the Procurator, he was transferred on 7 October to Tashturma. He is believed to have had access to his lawyer for the first time 10 days after his arrest. According to the information received, the first confidential meeting he had with his lawyer occurred on 19 November. As he is said to have experienced heart problems, a doctor is believed to have been called on five occasions by the investigators in the case and diagnosed a heart attack. It is reported that he was given injections, but that he is not receiving any other medication. He is said to have refused to sign a confession and a document according to which he would state that