168.At Sremska Mitrovica Prison, with over 1,000 inmates the largest in the country, the members were informed that the new management team had introduced important changes. Until the end of 2000, disciplinary measures in reported cases of ill-treatment had not been taken against those found guilty of such abuses. However, the director claimed that all problematic guards had been transferred. Since then, no conflicts between prisoners and staff or incidents of inter-prisoner violence had been observed. The prison doctor confirmed that there had been no acts of torture or ill-treatment in the prison. 169.Five inmates were interviewed in this prison, none of whom reported having been tortured before or during their stay in the prison. Four of them said that the situation had changed completely over the previous two years, since the arrival of the new director and the removal of some of the guards. One inmate, kept in a punishment cell after having tried to escape from prison, did not complain of any ill-treatment by the staff. Pozarevac Penitentiary for females 170.Six inmates were interviewed individually in the closed section. None of them alleged having been tortured or ill-treated by the police or prison guards. In the open and semi-open sections a group of prisoners reported previous cases of ill-treatment. However, they described the current situation as very good. One prisoner reported an incident in which a guard had beaten her on the palm of her hand in anger while she was working in the field. Reportedly, the guard was suspended and disciplinary procedures were ongoing. The prison doctor confirmed that in the previous three years she had not learnt of any case of torture or ill-treatment. Belgrade Military Prison 171.One inmate was interviewed in this prison. He had been arrested on charges of desertion. He made no allegations of torture or ill-treatment. 2. Police stations 172.The members of the Committee visited nine police stations, namely those at Bozidura Adzije, Rakovica, Vozdovac, Palilula, 29 November, Stari Grad and Milan Rakic Streets in Belgrade, the Smederevo main police station and the central police station in Novi Sad. At the time of the visit there were two detainees in Vozdovac, one in Milan Rakic and one in Smederevo. None of them reported having been tortured or ill-treated. At the 29 November police station there was only one old man in the detention area; he did not allege any maltreatment. One member of the Committee spoke with two alleged illegal immigrants who were waiting to see the judge for misdemeanours; they indicated that they had been treated well. B. Information submitted by non-governmental organizations 173.Representatives of NGOs with whom the Committee members met provided information on cases of torture brought to their attention by the alleged victims. In their view, massive violations of the right to freedom from torture had not been registered since the change of Government. However, the frequency with which law enforcement officers resorted to excessive force in the performance of their duty remained a matter of concern. They said that much remained to be done regarding the training of law enforcement personnel on human rights matters and that further personnel changes in the police had to be carried out in order to make a clear break with the practices of the former regime and restore public confidence in law enforcement agencies. They reported that torture was frequently used as a means of extracting information. However, in many instances torture was due to the mentality prevailing among policemen, for whom the use of excessive force had always been part of their routine work. Moreover, NGOs pointed out that since the change of Government few alleged perpetrators of acts of torture reportedly committed under the old regime had been investigated or tried. 174.HLC provided information on 12 selected cases involving 21 alleged victims that occurred between 1 December 2000 and March 2002. They reportedly took place in Belgrade, Smederevo, Becej (Vojvodina), Presevo, Novi Sad, Smederevska Palanka, Srbobran (Vojvodina), Vladicin Han, Kragujevac and Backa Palanka. All the victims alleged having been severely beaten; one reported having received electric shocks and another, an asthmatic patient, was not allowed to use his inhalator when he suffered a serious attack of asthma at the police station. Six of the alleged victims were Roma. 175.The Yugoslav Lawyers Committee for Human Rights provided information on 16 cases, all but 4 of which had occurred in Serbia after 5 October 2000. The reports alleged severe beatings with truncheons, falaqa, denial of medical assistance to an unconscious victim, sexual assault (possibly rape) and the discharge of firearms close to the head. The incidents reportedly took place in the street, as well as during questioning at police stations. In one case the victim was allegedly beaten by prison guards and in another by soldiers. The locations included Belgrade, Leskovac, Tutin, Sjenica (both in the Sandzak), Surdulica, Prokuplje and Vranje. 176.The Minority Rights Centre, an NGO that monitors the situation of Roma, reported that this minority was particularly exposed to violence by the police and provided some examples, which are included in a report entitled “Abuses of Roma Rights in Serbia”. Information was also received from other NGOs following the visit, including the Leskovac Committee for Human Rights, the Sandzak Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms and the Bujanovac Committee for Human Rights. The cases presented came from most regions of Serbia. C. Information received from government officials 177.Virtually all government officials with whom the members of the Committee met admitted that torture had been practised extensively under the former regime. They claimed, however, that under the new Government the situation had changed completely, particularly as far as the attitude of the police was concerned.