CAT/C/55/D/500/2012 effectiveness, that the experts of the Attorney-General’s Office lacked the independence and skill to investigate allegations of torture in accor dance with the Istanbul Protocol and that the Attorney-General’s Office was insufficiently independent to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation of acts of torture. 9 11.3 The complainants request interim protection measures for Ramiro López in orde r to ensure due respect for his physical safety and health, and to prevent irreparable harm. They submit that, despite what has been alleged by the State party, the prison authorities failed to provide him with proper medical care. On 25 April 2013, Ramiro López awoke to find a significant amount of blood on his pillow. A prison warden who saw his bloodied face called for medical assistance. The doctor arrived three hours later and prescribed antibiotics and antihistamines, and assured him that he would be seen by an ear, nose and throat specialist. However, he never received such specialist treatment. On 18 June 2013, his mother submitted a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission for failure to provide medical care. On 3 August 2013, an ear, nose and throat specialist examined Ramiro López and diagnosed the loss of his left eardrum and the imminent loss of the right one, which urgently required microsurgery. However, despite repeated requests by Mr. López, the prison authorities said that they had neither the specialists nor the necessary equipment to conduct the operation and that it was not possible for a specialist from a public hospital to attend the detention centre. The complainants maintain that the serious hearing difficulties experienced by Mr. López are closely related to the facts before the Committee. In order to avoid irreversible damage, they call for the adoption of urgent interim measures to ensure that Ramiro López receives the medical treatment prescribed by the ear, nose and throat specialist. Request for interim measures by the Committee 12. On 14 October 2013, the Committee requested that the State party should adopt interim measures to provide the appropriate specialized medical care and support required by Mr. Ramiro López for the injuries to his ears. 13. On 21 February 2014, the State party reported that Ramiro López had been prescribed medication and had been examined by general practitioners in the detention centre, and that his state of health was stable. It maintains t hat there is no grave or urgent situation or any risk of irreparable damage requiring the adoption of interim measures given the ongoing monitoring of the complainant ’s health problems, and therefore urges the Committee to dismiss the request. 14.1 On 4 April 2014, the complainants informed the Committee that the medical care provided to Ramiro López — which followed the request for interim measures by the Committee — was inadequate and consisted of the administration of antibiotics and antihistamines by general practitioners, despite the diagnosis ordering specialist emergency surgery. They reiterate the valid grounds for interim measures and add that the conditions of detention at the centre, in particular the lack of safe drinking water and the poor quality of food provided, have further exacerbated the plight of Mr. López. 14.2 The complainants reiterate that criminal investigations are still under way, five years after they were reopened. The complainants have also provided updated information on the number of criminal proceedings for torture in order to demonstrate the impunity that prevails. 10 __________________ 9 10 14/19 The complainants noted that all 80 investigations conducted so far by the Attorney -General’s Office based on the Istanbul Protocol have resulted in negative outcomes. Between January 2001 and June 2012, the Attorney-General’s Office launched 39 preliminary inquiries into torture, none of which resulted in prosecution. GE.15-17782