E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2 page 24 the night-shift guards. According to the information received, some children had spent up to two months in the punishment cells in which they were said to be locked 24 hours a day. They had to share a mattress with one or two other detainees. D. State of Minas Gerais 1. Police stations 65. On 3 September, the Special Rapporteur visited the police lock-up of the station in charge of theft and robbery cases in Belo Horizonte, in which 280 persons were currently held in 21 cells. They were said to be kept 24 hours a day in their cells. Once a month they were taken, after having been stripped naked and forced during the walk to keep their mouths wide open, for a sunbath in the courtyard while the cells were searched and sprayed with water, soaking all the prisoners’ personal items, in particular blankets. Cells were allegedly searched on other occasions as well, up to twice a week. The delegado explained to the Special Rapporteur that this was considered to be necessary in view of the large number of attempted escapes and violent incidents occurring in this police lock-up. Every fortnight, detainees were reported to be allowed to receive visits for one hour, but only their parents were said to be authorized to visit them. No mattresses were present in the cells and detainees were thus sleeping on the bare concrete floor with dirty blankets that, according to them, they were not allowed to wash. At the back of each cell, a hole used both as a toilet and a shower was separated from the main part of the cell by sheets put up by the detainees themselves. Only cold water was said to be running from the basic tap used for the shower. The delegado was the first to complain about the rather bad conditions of detention and regretted that material and personnel resources had to be used for the lock-up rather than for criminal investigation activities, the primary function of the civil police. 66. Up to 18 persons were detained in one cell measuring approximately 20 square metres. Most of the detainees had already been sentenced. They explained to the Special Rapporteur that in order to be transferred to a prison, where conditions of detention were believed to be better, a certain amount of money (up to 3,000 reais) had to be paid to the head of the police lock-up. The delegado indicated that the Superintendent of the Penitentiary Organization was responsible for the transfers that were, however, made on his recommendation as head of the delegacia. Quite a number of detainees appeared to the Special Rapporteur to be in need of urgent medical attention and their cases were referred to the delegado who indicated that the necessary measures would be taken immediately. Finally, it must be noted that most of the detainees indicated that they had been beaten at the time of arrest and/or during interrogation (see annex). 67. On 4 September, the Special Rapporteur visited the police station in charge of car thefts (called DETRAN). Forty-two detainees were detained in five cells. The delegado recognized that conditions were poor. In particular, the detainees could not be let out of their cells owing to the absence of a courtyard. Up to nine persons were detained in a cell of approximately 12 square metres and were sleeping on the bare concrete floor. A hole was used both as a shower and a toilet and was separated from the main part of the cell by plastic sheets put up by the detainees. The delegado indicated that 30 per cent of the persons held there had