(i) Take measures to improve the conditions in detention facilities, in particular the investigative detention facilities, with a view to closing the remaining five facilities that are underground, and ensure that all detention facilities provide at least minimal outdoor exercise for detainees; (j) Ensure close monitoring of inter-prisoner and other violence, including sexual violence, in detention facilities and social care homes, with a view to preventing it. The State party is requested to provide disaggregated data on this problem in the next periodic report; (k) Review the regime of detainees serving life sentences, including those serving life sentence without possibility of parole. 34. The Committee recommends that the State party circulate and make publicly available in the country the State party’s report to the Committee and the present conclusions and recommendations, in appropriate languages, through official web sites, the media and non governmental organizations. 35. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within one year, information in response to the Committee’s recommendations in paragraph 33 (b), (c), (d), (i) and (k), above. 36. The Committee recommends that the State party submit its next periodic report on 25 June 2008, the due date of the fifth periodic report. That report should combine the fourth and fifth periodic reports. CAMEROON* 37.The Committee considered the third periodic report of Cameroon (CAT/C/34/Add.17) at its 585th, 588th and 590th meetings, held on 18, 19 and 20 November 2003 (CAT/C/SR.585, 588 and 590), and adopted the following conclusions and recommendations. A. Introduction 38.The Committee welcomes the third report of Cameroon, which was prepared in conformity with the Committee’s guidelines and contains responses to the Committee’s previous recommendations. It nevertheless notes that the report, which was submitted at the end of 2002, covers only the period 1996-2000. The Committee welcomes the presence of a delegation of high-level experts to reply to the many questions put to them. B. Positive aspects 39.The Committee takes note with satisfaction of the following: (a)The State party’s efforts to pass legislation to give effect to the Convention; (b)The dissolution, in 2001, of the Douala operational command responsible for combating highway robbery, as recommended by the Committee; (c)The increase in the number of police officers, in conformity with the Committee’s recommendation; (d)The plan to build additional prisons in order to remedy prison overcrowding, and the collective pardon granted in November 2002 enabling 1,757 detainees to be immediately released; (e)The assurance given by the delegation that the verification of the individual situations of detainees and appellants will eventually result in the release of the range of persons held in pre trial detention, notably juveniles, women and sick persons; (f)The proposed restructuring of the National Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms to make it more independent of the executive and give it greater prominence; (g)The current finalization of a law against violence against women; (h)The establishment of the Ad Hoc Technical Committee for Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, with a view to ratification of that Statute; (i)The establishment of nine new courts in 2001. C. Subjects of concern 40.The Committee recalls that, in 2000, it found that torture seemed to be a very widespread practice in Cameroon, and expresses concern at reports that this situation still exists. It is troubled by the sharp contradictions between consistent allegations of serious violations of the Convention and the information provided by the State party. In particular, the Committee declares serious concern about: (a)Reports of the systematic use of torture in police and gendarmerie stations after arrest; (b)The continued existence of extreme overcrowding in Cameroonian prisons, in which living and hygiene conditions would appear to endanger the health and lives of prisoners and are tantamount to inhuman and degrading treatment. Medical care reportedly has to be paid for, and the separation of men and women is not always ensured in practice. The Committee notes with particular concern the