Recommendation (E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.6) Situation during visit in 2005 (See E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.6) Steps taken in previous years (See A/HRC/4/33/Add.2 and A/HRC/7/3/Add.2) Information received on steps taken since December 2007/current situation • A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 page 7 • As a result, victims of torture, their lawyers, families or unrelated persons with knowledge of an act of torture who complain to the PSB Superintendent’s Office or the Procuratorate usually receive the response that no evidence of torture was found without an effective and independent investigation having been carried out. When they are initiated, investigations fail to meet the requirements of promptness, effectiveness and impartiality. Political imperatives often influence the outcome of individual cases, including the decision whether to investigate and prosecute allegations of torture. The police, procuratorate and courts are not independent and remain under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party, including through “Politics and Law Commissions”. In cases of complaints to the PSB Superintendent’s Office, the independence of the investigations can be questioned, as the PSB is responsible for the management of detention facilities. The secrecy surrounding any actions taken with respect to torture cases makes it difficult to assess any new