paragraph 4, of the rules of procedure, as well as of the author's comments thereon. It takes the opportunity to expand on its admissibility findings. 8.5 On balance, while appreciating the State party's further clarifications about the availability of judicial remedies for the author's claims, the Committee sees no reason to revise its decision on admissibility of 8 July 1992. 8.2 To the extent that the State party argues that for the purposes of article 5, paragraph 2 (b), of the Optional Protocol, domestic remedies must only be available and not also be effective, the Committee refers to its established jurisprudence, under which remedies which do not provide a reasonable prospect of success need not be exhausted for purposes of the Optional Protocol. It sees no reason to depart from this jurisprudence. Furthermore, it transpires from the State party's submission that the Government's arguments relate primarily to the merits of the author's allegations. If the State party were to contend that because there are no merits in Mr. Mukong's claims, they must also be deemed inadmissible, the Committee would observe that the State party's argument reveals a misconception of the procedure under the Optional Protocol, which distinguishes clearly between formal admissibility requirements and the substance of a complainant's allegations. 9.1 The author has contended that the conditions of his detention in 1988 and 1990 amount to a violation of article 7, in particular because of insalubrious conditions of detention facilities, overcrowding of a cell at the first police district of Yaoundé, deprivation of food and of clothing, and death threats and incommunicado detention at the camp of the brigade mobile mixte at Douala. The State party has replied that the burden of proof for these allegations lies with the author, and that as far as conditions of detention are concerned, they are a factor of the under-development of Cameroon. 9.2 The Committee does not accept the State party's Views. As it has held on previous occasions, the burden of proof cannot rest alone with the author of a communication, especially considering that the author and the State party do not always have equal access to the evidence and that frequently the State party alone has access to the relevant information.2 Mr. Mukong has provided detailed information about the treatment he was subjected to; in the circumstances, it was incumbent upon the State party to refute the allegations in detail, rather than shifting the burden of proof to the author. 8.3 The State party has reiterated that the author still has not sought to avail himself of available remedies in respect of his allegations of ill-treatment. The Committee cannot share the State party's assessment. Firstly, the cases referred to by the State party concern offences different (such as the use of firearms, or abuse of office) from those of which the author complains. Secondly, the effectiveness of remedies against ill-treatment cannot be dissociated from the author's portrayal (uncontested and indeed confirmed by the State party) as a political opposition activist. Thirdly, the Committee notes that since his return, the author has continued to suffer specified forms of harassment on account of his political activities. Finally, it is uncontested that the case which the State party itself considers relevant to the author's situation has been pending before the Supreme Court of Cameroon for over 12 years. In the circumstances, the Committee questions the relevance of the jurisprudence and court decisions invoked by the State party for the author's particular case and concludes that there is no reason to revise the decision on admissibility in as much as the author's claim under article 7 is concerned. 9.3 As to the conditions of detention in general, the Committee observes that certain minimum standards regarding the conditions of detention must be observed regardless of a State party's level of development. These include, in accordance with rules 10, 12, 17, 19 and 20 of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,3 minimum floor space and cubic content of air for each prisoner, adequate sanitary facilities, clothing which shall be in no manner degrading or humiliating, provision of a separate bed and provision of food of nutritional value adequate for health and strength. It should be noted that these are minimum requirements which the Committee considers should always be observed, even if economic or budgetary considerations may make compliance with these obligations difficult 2 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirtyseventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/37/40), annex X, communication No. 30/1978 (Bleier v. Uruguay), Views adopted on 29 March 1982, para. 13.3. 8.4 Mutatis mutandis, the considerations in paragraph 8.3 above also apply to remedies in respect of the author's claims under articles 9, 14 and 19. The Committee refers in this context to its concluding comments on the second periodic report of Cameroon, adopted on 7 April 1994.1 3 Adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held at Geneva in 1955, and approved by the Economic and Social Council in its resolutions 663 C (XXIV) of 31 July 1957 and 2076 (LXII) of 13 May 1977; see Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments (United Nations publication, Sales No. 88.XIV.1), chap. G, sect. 30. 1 See CCPR/C/79/Add.33 (18 April 1994), paras. 21 and 22. 92