E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 97 Urgent appeals 522. On 24 November 1995 the Special Rapporteur transmitted an urgent appeal on behalf of Masood Alam Khan, and his brothers Waheed Shariff Khan and Tanvir Shariff Khan (aged 16), who were reportedly arrested at their home in Karachi by the paramilitary Rangers. Mosood Khan was arrested on 20 November and his brothers were arrested two days later, at which time they were allegedly beaten. The whereabouts of all three detainees were unknown. 523. The Special Rapporteur transmitted another urgent appeal on 6 December 1995 on behalf of Dr. Munawar Alam Halepota, a resident of the United Kingdom, who was reportedly arrested by police on 28 November 1995 in Tandollawar, Sindh, where he had travelled to visit his family. Dr. Halepota is the Secretary-General of Human Rights International and the World Sindhi Congress and had been appointed by the International Committee for European Security and Cooperation as its Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. He was said to have been taken on 30 November to an unknown place, possibly the CIA centre in Hyderabad, but his subsequent whereabouts were unknown. Observations 524. At the time of writing the Government had just informed the Rapporteur that a visit planned for 14 to 23 December 1995 had to because of the unexpected unavailability of the Interior Minister concerned officials. It was hoped that an alternate set of dates visit in early 1996 would be proposed to the Special Rapporteur. inform the Commission at its fifty-second session of developments presentation of his report. Special be postponed and other for the He will in the oral Peru Información transmitida al Gobierno y respuestas recibidas 525. Con fecha 13 de abril de 1995, el Relator Especial comunicó al Gobierno que había continuado recibiendo abundante información sobre el uso reiterado de la tortura como medio de castigo, intimidación o para obtener una confesión, por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad, especialmente contra personas detenidas bajo acusación de terrorismo o delitos connexos. Esta práctica se vería facilitada por una legislación penal de emergencia que restringe el derecho de defensa y amplía las facultades concedidas a la policía para detener e incomunicar a los detenidos hasta un período de 15 días o más. Según se informó, el nuevo Código Penal, vigente desde 1991, no ha incorporado de manera expresa el delito de tortura como delito autónomo. Inclusive, la nueva legislación penal ha derogado normas que castigaban las vejaciones o apremios ilegales. 526. Se informó igualmente que el principal instrumento del que se ha valido el Estado para enfrentar a la subversión armada ha sido el recurso sistemático a los estados de emergencia en amplias zonas del territorio nacional, donde las fuerzas armadas no sólo ejercen el control militar sino también el político. En estas zonas miembros del ejército, a veces acompañados por patrullas de defensa civil, así como miembros de la policía, especialmente los