E/CN.4/1990/17 page 14 51. According to the information received from the Government, the statements by the aforementioned persons were made "freely and voluntarily, without moral or physical pressure of any kind or any type of bribe, the accused being in full possession of their faculties and aware of the guarantees provided by the Constitution ..." according to the relevant documents. Furthermore, a Government Prosecutor was always present when the statements were made in order to supervise that the proper constitutional procedure was followed. 52. The Government stated that in the specific cases to which the Special Rapporteur's communication refers, it has been established that, as a result of the medical examination of Miss Cecilia del Carmen Mendez by the Forensic Medicine Department of the Office of the Attorney-General, the conclusion was reached that this person showed no signs of injuries of any kind that could be attributed to acts of torture. 53. On 17 November 1989 the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of Ecuador transmitting information on alleged cases of torture. It gave the following details: (a) Selfrido lives Camacho, arrested in Caluma, Bolivar, on 7 May 1989 by order of the political officer. A policeman and group of civilians allegedly interrogated Mr. lives under torture in the Caluma Rural Police Detachment premises. According to an electrician, who is a member of an association to combat cattle theft, a bare cable was placed round his neck and the current was switched on, causing his death; (b) Luis Sanchez Vega, arrested at Tabiazo on 19 April 1989 by armed civilians who took him to the SIC-Esmeraldas premises. During the interrogations, an agent allegedly struck him on the body and caused suffocation by placing gas-filled containers on his head until he collapsed. Following that he needed rest and medical treatment for a week; (c) Andres Camacho, arrested in Sucumbios on 1 May 1989 by soldiers, presumably from the Batalon de Selva 54-Aquarico. He was taken in a military lorry to La Punta to the Eatallon de Selva 56-Tungurahua. There he was allegedly questioned under torture until he lost consciousness; he was left in front of his house in that state. A medical examination showed problems of balance attributable to a disorder of the cerebellum. He needed complete rest for three weeks, with continuous supervision; (d) Segundo Santacruz Onate, arrested on 1 May 1989 in Quito and taken to the SIC-Pichincha where he was interrogated by an agent. During interrogation he allegedly was beaten on the back with a stick, was hung up by his thumbs and was asphyxiated. The medical examination carried out on 9 May showed an injury to the left eyebrow, lacerated and injured shoulders and lacerated and injured thumbs; (e) Hector Tapia, driver of a garbage truck and four workers from the sanitation department, arrested in Quito on 19 June 1989 following a complaint by a citizen who inadvertently threw a large sum of money in a garbage container. In addition to this detention, in the SIC-Pichincha, an agent is alleged to have subjected the workers to ill-treatment, namely blows administered on the thighs and legs with a stick, in tripod position, blows with both fists and kicks when they fell to the ground; they were left hanging in the air by their thumbs when a table on which they were standing was taken away; containers of gas were placed on their head.