submitted to corporal punishment for certain crimes punishable under Islamic law and it was asked whether Afghanistan characterized such penalties as "pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions", as stated in article 1 of the Convention. 59. In his reply, the representative of the State party stated that since the Islamic State had been restored in Afghanistan, torture as defined in the Convention was not practised; it was considered contrary to Islamic law and prohibited by the Penal Code. The legislation mentioned in the report was still valid, but it was likely to be amended following the adoption of the new Constitution and would be brought in line with Islamic precepts. He then referred to the categories of penalty in Islamic law and stated that the principle of the separation of powers was fully respected in his country. Judges were appointed by the head of State, who also decided on their promotion on the basis of reports made by the Minister of Justice. At present, the courts applied the Shariah laws, but not very strictly. In the event of any conflict between internal law and the Convention, the Convention took precedence. The representative stressed that the current leaders of Afghanistan would respect all conventions to which the country was a party under the previous regime and would submit a more detailed report to the Committee. 60. With reference to article 2 of the Convention, the representative stated that a state of siege had not been officially decreed in Afghanistan and that, following the general amnesty, all prisoners, including criminals, had been released. There were no longer any prisons in Afghanistan, but small detention centres only. There was a system of legal aid or legal assistance for the accused, but it was somewhat unsatisfactory, mainly because Afghanistan was an underdeveloped country. 61. In connection with article 14 of the Convention, the representative pointed out that the courts determined the nature and amount of compensation for loss or injury on the basis of the relevant Islamic precepts. Conclusions and recommendations 62. The Committee was generally of the opinion that, in view of the enormous changes Afghanistan had been going through recently, the Government of Afghanistan should submit a new report combining the information required in an initial report, an additional report and a periodic report in a single document. The new report should take account of all the questions asked and follow the general guidelines of the Committee regarding the form and contents of reports to be submitted by States parties. It should focus, in particular, on such aspects as the structure of the legal system, conditions of detention and the role of training and education; it should also clarify to what extent Islamic law was incorporated into Afghan criminal law. The new report should be submitted by the end of June 1993, so that the Committee could discuss it at its November 1993 session. The Committee further recalled that the Centre for Human Rights was at the disposal of the Government of Afghanistan to help it draft its report and to provide technical assistance in the field of human rights. Norway 63. The Committee considered the second periodic report of Norway (CAT/C/17/Add.1) at its 122nd and 123rd meetings, on 11 November 1992 (see CAT/C/SR.122 and 123). 64. In introducing the report, the representative of the State party indicated that the investigations of 368 alleged cases of large-scale police brutality in the city of Bergen, which had been discussed in May 1989 during the -13-