CAT/C/QAT/CO/2 The Committee reiterates its recommendations that the State party should adopt effective measures to fully ensure the independence of the judiciary, in conformity with international standards, such as the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary. Complaints and prompt, thorough and impartial investigations 14. The Committee reiterates its concerns about the absence of data on individual complaints of torture or ill-treatment, or the results of investigations or prosecutions related to the provisions of the Convention. The Committee notes with concern the information provided by the State party that it has not recorded any complaint on torture or illtreatment, which contradicts a number of reports of ill-treatment of detainees submitted by several sources, including the Qatari National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) (arts. 12, 13 and 16). The State party should ensure that information about the possibility and procedure for filing a complaint against the police is made available and widely publicized, including by being prominently displayed in all detention facilities. The State party should ensure that all allegations of torture and ill-treatment are investigated promptly and thoroughly by independent bodies, with no institutional or hierarchical connection between the investigators and the alleged perpetrators among the police. As indicated in paragraph 7 of the present concluding observations, the State party should provide, in its next periodic report, statistical data, disaggregated by crimes, nationality, age and gender, on complaints relating to torture and ill-treatment and any related investigations, prosecutions, penal and disciplinary sanctions. Monitoring and inspection of places of deprivation of liberty 15. The Committee is concerned at the lack of systematic and effective monitoring of all places of deprivation of liberty by national and international monitors. Furthermore, it remains concerned at the adequacy and frequency of visits, including unannounced visits, by the existing monitoring mechanisms and the lack of information on the extent to which their recommendations have been implemented by the authorities (arts. 2, 11 and 16). The State party should ensure that fully independent monitoring of all places used for deprivation of liberty, including the Deportation Detention Centre, psychiatric facilities and the State security prison, takes place on a regular basis, as well as including unannounced visits, and should follow up effectively on the outcome of such systematic monitoring in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The State party should strengthen the mandate and resources of the National Human Rights Committee and other national monitoring mechanisms to that end. The State party is encouraged to accept monitoring of places of detention by non-governmental organizations and relevant international mechanisms and to consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention as soon as possible. National Human Rights Committee 16. While noting the NHRC role in monitoring detention facilities and raising cases on human rights violations with the authorities, the Committee expresses concern about reports that NHRC visits are infrequent and refused sometimes and that NHRC lacks medical expertise for the detention visits and interpreters for the visits to the deportation centre. Further, a large proportion of the NHRC members continue to be composed of Government officials, although they serve in a non-voting capacity. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of comprehensive data on complaints received by NHRC relating to violations of 5