been victims of torture or ill-treatment. The cost of treating victims was borne by the State. Torture victims were also entitled to free consultations and outpatient treatment. 254. Compensation for victims was obtainable only through the State, which could bring actions against offenders, whether they were members of the police or of another body. Each request for compensation had to be addressed to the judge trying the offence involving torture or ill-treatment. The judge granted redress for the material injury and the moral wrong suffered by the victim. 255. Regarding article 16 of the Convention, he said that a person accused of a serious offence could, if necessary, be detained incommunicado for 72 hours. A detainee guilty of violating prison regulations could be placed in solitary confinement for a maximum of two months. That form of isolation was not contrary to the relevant international rules. 256. The authorities of Belarus were prepared to provide the Committee with the texts of the main draft laws under discussion and would be extremely grateful to it for any assistance it could provide in the creation of a State based on the rule of law. Conclusions and recommendations 257. The Committee thanked the Government of Belarus for its timely, but incomplete periodic report; it also thanked the representatives of Belarus for the additional information and clarification provided. 258. The Committee noted that the political and legal situation in Belarus allowed for reforms that were broad and far-reaching enough to eliminate torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 259. The Committee especially congratulated the Government of Belarus on its new plans for a modern Constitution, a Criminal Code, a Code of Criminal Procedure and a Prisons Code, which should be in keeping with the provisions of the Convention so as to guarantee its full implementation in the territory of Belarus. 260. The Committee recommended that the Centre for Human Rights of the United Nations Secretariat should provide the Government of Belarus, at its request, with advisory services in legal matters and the training of the personnel referred to in article 10 of the Convention. It would also be grateful if it could be kept fully informed of the legislative and other measures taken and the results achieved in the implementation of the Convention. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: dependent territories 261. The Committee considered the initial report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on its dependent territories (CAT/C/9/Add.10) at its 132nd and 133rd meetings, on 18 November 1992 (see CAT/C/SR.132, 133 and 133/Add.2). 262. The report was introduced by the representative of the State party, who pointed out that, in addition to the nine dependent territories covered by the report (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena and Turks and Caicos Islands), the Convention would be extended by the end of the year to the other remaining dependent territories, namely, Bermuda, the Channel Islands, Hong Kong and the Isle of Man. The representative then outlined the history and the main socio-economic conditions of the nine dependent territories under consideration -44-