A/HRC/16/52/Add.5 encourages all relevant authorities to investigate all cases of deaths in custody, as well as those concerning torture and ill-treatment. C. Conditions of detention 50. The Special Rapporteur found that conditions of detention in police lock-ups and correctional institutions varied greatly, although there was a general atmosphere of violence and neglect in many places of detention. Since there are no effective oversight mechanisms and bribery is prevalent in the criminal justice system, many detainees were held in detention or remand for prolonged periods, mainly those who lacked financial means. Additionally, those deprived of their liberty had no knowledge of or trust in any complaint mechanism that may be available. 1. Police stations 51. In Papua New Guinea, detainees were held in remand at police lock-ups often for several months, and sometimes for more than a year. This is in clear contravention of international human rights standards concerning detention. Police lock-ups are built for short periods of detention of a maximum of 48 hours, during which time the detainee’s case should be brought before a judge, who should either release or transfer the detainee to a remand centre under a different authority. The Special Rapporteur was concerned that many of the detainees had been held in police lock-ups for a prolonged period in appalling conditions, amounting to inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. 52. In this regard, in none of the police stations visited by the Special Rapporteur did the conditions comply with international minimum standards for the humane treatment of detainees. Detainees were locked up in overcrowded and filthy cells, without proper ventilation or natural light. In all police lock-ups (with the exception of some detainees at the Bihute police station), detainees were forced to sleep on a concrete floor, sometimes on only a piece of cardboard. The cells were often infested with mice, cockroaches and other insects. At the Arawa police station, which was small, dirty and run-down, officers stated there was usually no electricity available, but because the electoral ballots were being kept there, the electoral commission had provided them with light bulbs. Access to food was greatly limited; the food provided by families, in the few instances where they were allowed to visit, was usually not allowed. 53. Access to water for drinking, washing or toilet use was also severely limited. In addition, the toilets had to be flushed from outside, creating an unnecessary dependence of the detainees on police officers. The Special Rapporteur was particularly concerned that, in the Highlands region, the authorities alleged that detainees did not have continuous access to water owing to a shortage in the region. Given the natural availability of water in the region, this explanation suggested that access to water was deliberately restricted. A further concern in the police lock-ups in the Highlands region was the lack of blankets and warm clothes for detainees despite the low night-time temperatures. 54. With regard to sanitation, the Special Rapporteur found that the poor detention conditions were conducive to the spread of cholera and other diseases. In the Mount Hagen police station, for example, detainees were forced to urinate and defecate in plastic bags, which were then picked up by female detainees and collected in the courtyard. Furthermore, the courtyard was littered with used condoms, and the Special Rapporteur found two large boxes of unused condoms available in the Police Station Commander’s office. 55. With regard to health, there was generally no access to medical attention, leading to avoidable amputations and even deaths in custody. In the Goroka police station, a man with a serious foot injury had been held for his own protection for over a month. He had been 12