E/CN.4/2004/56/Add.3 page 6 Committee against Torture could receive individual complaints from persons alleging non-compliance with the terms of the Convention. It is also invited similarly to consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights so that the Human Rights Committee can receive individual complaints. 20. Information on individual cases referred to in the Special Rapporteur’s report were again provided, the summaries of which can be found in E/CN.4/2002/76/Add.1, paragraphs 95-104. Brazil Follow-up to the recommendat ions made by the Special Rapporteur in the report of his visit to Brazil in August and September 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2, para. 169) 21. By letter dated 3 November 2003, the Special Rapporteur transmitted to the Government the following information received from non-governmental sources on the follow-up to the recommendations. 22. Recommendation (a) stated: First and foremost, the top federal and State political leaders need to declare unambiguously that they will not tolerate torture or other ill-treatment by public officials, especially military and civil police, prison personnel and personnel of juvenile institutions. They need to take vigorous measures to make such declarations credible and make clear that the culture of impunity must end. In addition to giving effect to the subsequent recommendations, these measures should include unannounced visits by them to police stations, pre-trial detention facilities and penitentiaries known for the prevalence of such treatment. In particular, they should hold those in charge of places of detention at the time abuses are perpetrated personally responsible for the abuses. Such responsibility should include, but not be limited to, the practice obtaining in some localities, according to which the occurrence of abuses during their period of authority will adversely affect promotion prospects and indeed should involve removal from office, which removal should not consist merely of transfer to another institution. 23. According to the information received, the Government of Brazil launched in 2001 a National Plan to Fight Torture, which included a National Campaign against Torture. This Campaign was launched along three lines: (i) creation of a national hotline to denounce incidents of torture and a national network for collecting and following cases; (ii) training of staff of the national network that deals with alleged cases of torture; (iii) dissemination of information about the Campaign to raise awareness among the general public. The objective of the Campaign is to implement a National Network to Fight Torture with a national centre that would be responsible for receiving cases of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and sending them to the State centres, which in turn are responsible for following these cases with the appropriate authorities and networks of protection for victims, witnesses and their families. At the time of its launching, the Campaign was reportedly criticized by human rights organizations on the grounds that the hotline was set up in such a way that it placed an