A/54/426 France, Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Special Rapporteur has also transmitted information to the Palestinian Authority. B. Urgent appeals 18. An urgent appeal is made on the basis of information received by the Special Rapporteur expressing concern about the fact that a person is at risk of being subjected to torture. Such concern may be based, inter alia, on accounts by witnesses of the person’s physical condition while in detention, or on the fact that the person is kept incommunicado, a situation which may be conducive to torture. The Special Rapporteur, when making a determination as to whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an identifiable risk of torture exists, takes into account a number of factors, any one of which may be sufficient, though generally more than one will be present. These factors include: (a) the previous reliability of the source of the information; (b) the internal consistency of the information; (c) the consistency of the information with information on other cases from the country in question that has come to the Special Rapporteur’s attention; (d) the existence of authoritative reports of practices of torture from national sources, such as official commissions of inquiry; (e) the findings of other international bodies, such as those established in the framework of the United Nations human rights machinery; (f) the existence of national legislation, such as that permitting prolonged incommunicado detention, that can have the effect of facilitating torture; and (g) the threat of extradition or deportation, directly or indirectly, to a State or territory where one or more of the above elements are present. 6 19. The urgent appeal procedure is not per se accusatory, but essentially preventive in nature and purpose. The Government concerned is merely requested to look into the matter and to take steps aimed at protecting the right to physical and mental integrity of the person concerned, in accordance with the international human rights standards. 20. In view of the fact that the urgent appeal contains information that is extremely time-sensitive, the appeal is addressed directly to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or relevant department of the country concerned. 21. The Special Rapporteur, where appropriate, sends urgent appeals jointly with other organs of the United Nations human rights machinery. 22. Between December 1993 and 10 December 1998, the Special Rapporteur transmitted 712 urgent appeals on behalf of approximately 2,959 individuals and 44 groups involving 2,280 individuals. During the period under review, from 10 December 1998 to 31 August 1999, the Special Rapporteur transmitted 113 urgent actions to 41 countries. 23. The Special Rapporteur has sought to cooperate with holders of other Commission mandates to avoid duplication of activity in respect of country-specific initiatives. Thus, he has sent urgent appeals or transmitted information alleging violations within his mandate to Governments jointly with the following mechanisms: the Working Groups on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and on Arbitrary Detention, and the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the independence of judges and lawyers; freedom of opinion and expression; violence against women; the Sudan; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Nigeria; Burundi; the Islamic Republic of Iran; Afghanistan; Myanmar. 24. Since December 1993, urgent appeals were transmitted to the following 83 countries: Algeria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Norway, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago,