287. With regard to article 12 of the Convention, the representative informed the Committee of the establishment of a human rights office under the Ministry of Justice which would investigate cases of human rights abuses in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. He said that there had been only one case of ill-treatment of detainees, which had occurred when more than 100 prl~Qn¥~~ b~Q cscapeQ ~~gm a penal e5tabli5hm@~t and had been badly tr~at~d after their rearrest. A commission of inquiry had been set up and proceedings had been instituted against three wardens. 288. Turning to article 14 of the Convention, the representative explained that, according to the Code of Penal Procedure, either the judicial police or a victim of an act of torture could initiate compensation proceedings. In some circumstances, the State bore the civil liability for acts committed by its agents and could claim the amount of compensation paid from the person who had committed the offence. 289. In his reply to questions concerning article 15 of the Convention, the representative said that a confession could not be accepted as sole proof of guilt but would be accepted or rejected in the light of other evidence available. Concluding observations 290. Concluding their examination of the report, the members of the Committee said that the replies given by the representative had shed new light on the issues raised by the report, which had shown the efforts being made by the Algerian Government to modernize its legislation in the interests of greater democratization. It was noted that further improvement was needed in respect of the maximum duration of police custody and the issues of extradition and refoulement. -53-