E/CN.4/1992/17 page 54 in order to use the confessions in the courts. Torture appears occasionally to be practised in unofficial places such as hotels, car parks and deserted rural areas. 156. Reports also indicated that the most common types of torture are beatings of all kinds and especially on the most sensitive parts of the body, such as the ears; near-suffocation with plastic bags or holding the head down in dirty water; electric shocks; cigarette burns; hanging people up and psychological torture. It was reported that, in the great majority of cases, judicial remedies are ineffective, and that victims or relatives who try to use them are often persecuted and threatened. The Special Rapporteur transmitted the following cases in particular: (a) Pablo Torres Hernández, Enrique Itahua, Juan González Hernández and Hermenegildo Torres Cruz were arrested on 5 August 1991 and taken to the Northern Penitentiary in Mexico City, where they were tortured. In addition, the last person mentioned had received a gunshot wound while being arrested and had to be admitted to Balbuena Hospital; (b) Aboud Sattar, aged 33, was arrested on 14 June 1991 at San Luis Potosí by the Federal Judicial Police. Before he was taken to the central prison in San Luis Potosí, he was severely tortured; in particular a bar was inserted in his rectum, causing considerable injury; (c) Anastasio Salinas, aged 40, was arrested on 31 July 1991 at his home in the city of Reynosa, State of Tamaulipas, by a group of men who kicked him and beat him on the abdomen with a blunt object. He was taken to the Federal Judicial Police Station, where he remained incommunicado for two days and was forced, under threat of death, to sign a statement that he had been in possession of drugs. Morocco Urgent appeals 157. On 17 January 1991, the Special Rapporteur addressed an urgent appeal to the Moroccan Government transmitting information concerning Mohamed Raiss, held in Tazmamart Prison since 1973. According to the information received Mr. Raiss1 health is deteriorating rapidly, and unless an emergency operation is performed, he runs the risk of being left completely paralysed. The same source expressed deep concern over the conditions in Tazmamart Prison. Thirty prisoners of the 60 or so transferred to Tazmamart Prison after the events of August 1973 are alleged to have died as a result of ill-treatment or malnutrition. Letters and Government replies 158. On 17 June 1991 the Moroccan Government replied to the Special Rapporteur's letter of 27 November 1990 (E/CN.4/1991/17, para. 115) concerning several cases of prisoners alleged to have died in 1989 after being tortured. The following information was transmitted: