CAT/C/MRT/CO/1 (c) Ensure that asylum seekers are held in detention only as a last resort and, if this becomes necessary, that they are held for as short a time as possible and that use is made of alternatives to detention whenever feasible; (d) Issue identity documents to Mauritanians who were expelled in the past and then repatriated, as well as to their family members. Training 17. While noting that many training sessions dealing with human rights and other subjects are organized for members of the security services, the Committee is concerned by the absence of training on the Convention against Torture, and particularly regarding the absolute prohibition of torture, for police officers, gendarmes, criminal investigation police, prison guards and law enforcement personnel such as judges, prosecutors and lawyers. It is also concerned by the fact that the guidelines set out in the Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Istanbul Protocol, 1999) are not systematically followed in investigations into cases of torture or ill-treatment (art. 10). The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Establish training programmes and develop modules on human rights to ensure that security and law enforcement personnel are fully aware of the provisions of the Convention and particularly of the absolute prohibition of torture; (b) Provide training in respect of the Istanbul Protocol on a regular and systematic basis to medical personnel, forensic doctors, judges, prosecutors and all other persons involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual who is arrested, detained or imprisoned, as well as to anyone else involved in investigations into cases of torture; (c) Develop and apply a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of educational and training programmes dealing with the Convention against Torture and the Istanbul Protocol and for assessing their impact in helping to reduce the number of cases of torture or ill-treatment. Investigations 18. The Committee is deeply concerned by the fact that information on the prosecution of persons who have committed acts of torture has not been made available. It is also concerned about the conspicuous absence of statistics on the number of criminal charges of torture that have been brought, the investigations undertaken into complaints of torture and the convictions obtained in such cases, inasmuch as this suggests that no court has as yet been able to apply the provisions of the Convention because there is no law that defines torture as a criminal offence or that sets out punishments for acts of torture. The Committee is also concerned by the reports it has received that the State party’s authorities have been slow to investigate claims that acts of torture were committed in 2011 and 2012 in Nouakchott, Kaédi and Ould Yengé. The Committee is also deeply concerned by the scant information on the case of Hassane Ould Brahim, who was being held in the Dar Naïm prison in Nouakchott and who is said to have died in October 2012 after having been tortured by prison guards (arts. 12 and 13). The State party should: (a) Put an end to torture and to inhuman and degrading treatment, and ensure that allegations of torture, ill-treatment or excessive use of force by police or security forces are promptly investigated, that the persons concerned are prosecuted and convicted, as applicable, and that the penalties imposed are commensurate with GE.13-44591 7