E/CN.A/1992/17 page 27 concerning her husband's involvement in the assassination of Dr. al-Mahgoub. Apparently she was pregnant and, as a result of the torture, suffered a miscarriage. 86. On 24 October 1991 the Government informed the Special Rapporteur, with respect to the case of Mr. Afifi Matlar, that a warrant of arrest had been issued on 20 March 1991 for his involvement in clandestine opposition activities for the benefit of a foreign State. Mr. Afifi Matar admitted the charges and revealed the extent of his activity, as well as the stages of his recruitment in the service of that foreign State. For personal reasons, he refused to allow anyone other than three of his friends to visit him in prison. He expressed awareness of the need for his national and ideological rehabilitation and it was therefore decided to release him on 9 May 1991. Neither Mr. Afifi Matlar nor any of his visitors or relatives made any statements to the judicial authorities concerning his subjection to torture or ill-treatment during or after his detention in prison. El Salvador Letters and Government replies 87. On 17 April 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of El Salvador transmitting information received about cases of 97 persons said to have been tortured and ill-treated in the period November 1989 to October 1990. 88. According to the information, three types of torture were used in the cases in question: physical torture, such as blows to various parts of the body, near-suffocation, near-strangulation, forcible exercises, electric shocks and burns; physical and mental torture such as nakedness, deprivation of sleep, refusal to supply food, being forced to eat rotting food, forcible retention in the case of bodily needs, use of drugs, rape; and mental torture such as threats, verbal aggression, mock executions, being placed in isolation, and being forced to hear other people tortured. 89. It was also reported that torture was systematically used in the armed forces and State security agencies to obtain information by interrogation and to spread terror among the civilian population. It was reportedly used during or after arrest and, at other times, outside official premises and not in connection with detention. Torture was also more easily used because the guilty were not investigated, tried and punished. 90. The names of the persons whose cases were transmitted to the Government together with the date of arrest or presumed torture are: Cecilio Hernández Ramirez (13 November 1989); Oscar Saúl Amaya Cruz (20 November 1989); Felix Portillo Peña (21 November 1989); Francisco Martin Fuentes (22 November 1989); Fernando Cartagena Dueñas (25 November 1989); Mateo David Sánchez Elias (29 November 1989); José Ernesto Guerra González (14 December 1989); Isidro Vásquez Alfaro (14 December 1989); Miguel Angel Pineda Pineda (18 December 1989); Cándida Rosa Rivera Rugamas (29 December 1989); Ana Sofia Rivera (29 December 1989); Carlos Antonio Rivera (29 December 1989); Pablo Salvador Cárcamo Centeno (29 December 1989);