CAT/C/75
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records at places of detention covering the months preceding the visit that the individuals in
question had arrived with injuries. Of the interviewees, 59 stated that they had been treated in a
way that the Committee members considered to fall within the definition of article 1 of the
Convention. In many of these cases, there were medical reports that tallied with the
interviewees’ accounts. Two other individuals stated that, while they had not been tortured, they
had been subjected to strong psychological pressure. In two cases, it is questionable whether the
treatment meted out falls within the definitions given in articles 1 and 16 of the Convention.
24.
The Committee members also heard testimony concerning 17 other victims of torture.
Some of them were at liberty, but others were in detention, in which event the testimony came
from direct relatives.
1. Testimony of persons deprived of liberty
(a)
Tamaulipas
25.
During their visit to the Reynosa CERESO, the Committee members
interviewed 13 inmates, 11 of whom reported that they had, at the time of their detention at
various points in the State, undergone treatment that the Committee members considered to be
torture. Three had been taken into detention in 1999 and the others between January and
June 2001. All said that they had been struck repeatedly at the time of their arrest or for several
hours or days thereafter. The only exception was the sole woman, who said that she had been
threatened with being thrown into a canal and had been forced to watch as her husband was
tortured. Two of the detainees said that their hearing had been damaged by the beatings and two
others that they had been bedridden for several weeks. Three said that plastic bags had been
placed over their heads and one that water containing chilli powder had been poured into his
nose and mouth. One said he had twice been taken to a riverbank and threatened with being
thrown in. Five said that those responsible belonged to the judicial police, one, the Federal
judicial police, five, police patrols and one, the Army.
26.
The Committee members also interviewed three people who had been taken into
detention a few hours earlier and were being held in judicial police cells in Reynosa. These said
that they had not been tortured or mistreated.
27.
At the Miguel Alemán CERESO, the Committee members interviewed seven inmates.
Two of them, who had been in custody since August 2001, said that they had been beaten by
members of the judicial police during their arrests; medical certificates issued on imprisonment
mentioned the presence of injuries. One, who had been in custody since November 2000, said he
had been repeatedly beaten by municipal police officers. The other four said they had not been
tortured or ill-treated.
(b)
Oaxaca
28.
During their visit to the Santa María Ixcotel CERESO, the Committee members
interviewed 14 inmates. Three of them, who had been in custody since August 2001, said that
they had been beaten by police patrols when they were detained, although two of them said they