PART 2: Procedures of the Human Rights Commitee and the Committee against Torture upstanding’ guards in Messrs P and Q. The author was confined to his cell (for 24 hours instead of 23 hours) as a ‘punishment’ for submitting the complaint. On the night of 12 November 2002, he was taken from his cell by Mr P, and subjected to his most severe beating, involving multiple blows to his torso, by Messrs P and Q. Release from City Prison 14. The author was held in detention at City Prison in appalling conditions, and continued to endure ill-treatment at the hands of Messrs P and Q, for just over three months. On 12 January 2003, the author was released without being told why. It later transpired that all charges against him had been dropped. The police had apparently caught the real perpetrator of the murder of the police officer on 7 January 2003. Post-Release Medical Examinations 15. On 13 January 2003, the author was given a medical examination by Dr. H, his physician. Dr H noted that there were signs of fresh bruising on the upper part of his torso, his neck and his head, which indicated that he had been beaten in that anatomical region. Scars, which were ‘a few months old’, were also noted. X-rays also revealed healed fractures indicating that some of the beatings had either fractured or broken the author’s bones (See Annex 6 for Dr. H’s medical report). 16. On 15 January 2003 the author underwent a psychiatric assessment from Dr J which affirmed that the author had a severe psychotic condition. He has since undergone five more psychiatric assessments, including one by an alternative psychiatrist, Dr K, who was asked for a ‘second opinion’ see Annexes 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 for all psychiatric reports). The first three reports (two by Dr J and one by Dr K) confirm that the author was extremely depressed and anxious in the first few months after his release. They indicate that his behaviour was not atypical in individuals who have been exposed to severe abuse. Furthermore, the reports indicate that it was evident that the author had not experienced any symptoms prior to his arrest and that he had no family history of mental illness. 17. The author has been treated with anti-depressants since his early psychiatric diagnoses, and his condition has improved, as recorded in the latest report from Dr J dated 14 August 2005 (see Annex 21). He remains however reliant on anti-depressants. On the one time, in January 2005, in which his dosage was decreased, his depression and anxiety levels rose markedly (see Annex 20). Exhaustion of Domestic Remedies 18. As noted above (see above, paragraph 13), Mr L complained in writing to prison authorities about the author’s treatment in prison (see Annex 15). This complaint merely resulted in further persecution of the author, and no remedy whatsoever. 19. On 1 October 2002, Mr. L wrote a letter of complaint to the Chief Prosecutor pursuant to the Investigations (Human Rights) Act 1990 outlining the torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment to which the author was being subjected whilst he was detained at the City Police Station (See Annex 22 for a copy of the letter written by Mr. L and Annex 23 for copy of the Act). Mr. L advised the Chief Prosecutor that “a prompt investigation into the issue [was] required in order to ensure that the evidence of the torture of the author did not disappear”. For example, the physical harm would heal. Further, there was a need for urgency due to the (then) “impending trial of [the author] for the murder of the police officer, and the need to challenge the veracity of the confession”. Mr. L requested the Chief Prosecutor to investigate the matter, identify the relevant police officers, and hold them responsible for the abuse inflicted on the author during the four days of incarceration at City Police Station. Mr. L submitted that the witnesses to the 111