E/CN.4/2003/68/Add.2 page 51 According to the information received, he was threatened that if he wanted to live, he should follow the investigators’ instructions and sign a confession letter. He was furthermore reportedly told that he would be released if he signed, but would otherwise die or leave the police station as a disabled person. As a result, he is believed to have signed the documents on the day of arrest, and was subsequently transferred to the Fergana SNB office. The three men who had prayed with him and another friend were reportedly also brought to the Fergana SNB office. Another man who had received leaflets from the same man was reportedly brought in. It was believed that the man distributing Hizb-ut-Tahrir leaflets had been forced to do so by the law enforcement agents. His trial reportedly took place in February 2002. Out of four invited witnesses, only two are said to have taken part and it is reported that they could not corroborate his guilt. Kamiljan Sadikhov’s family was not listened to. When his father told the judge to treat his son’s case in accordance with the law, the judge is believed to have stated that he believed the prosecution. When Kamiljan Sadikhov showed the sores he had sustained as a result of having been beaten, the judge reportedly told him not to show them, and asked him who had tortured him. When Kamiljan Sadikhov responded that he could not see, as a mask had been placed over his head, the judge did not pay any attention to his statement. He was reportedly sentenced to six years in prison on the basis of article 159, and transferred to Navoi colony 64/46. Alamidin Khamidov, a 28-year-old man, was reportedly arrested by the area police officer who came to his house in the morning of 1 November 2001 and took him to the SNB office in Margilan. As soon as he entered the room in the SNB office, he reportedly saw four uniformed and masked men from a Special Operations Unit who started beating him. They then reportedly asked him to strip and searched his clothes. They ordered him to put them back on and to check his pockets. Alamidi Khamidov is said to have responded that he knew that he only had 600 sum in his pockets. They reportedly asked him to check his breast pocket, where he found a banned leaflet. According to the information received, he was subsequently taken to another room where he was asked whether he was involved with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which he denied. For three days, he was reportedly beaten all over his body with sticks. False witnesses were said to have been brought in who were threatened to give false evidence against him, and to state that they had received religious leaflets from him. His hands were reportedly cuffed, and he was beaten all over leading to vomiting and severe bleeding. It is alleged that he was not allowed to speak or to ask for a lawyer. Four needles were reportedly placed in his hand, and plastic bags were placed over his head. He reportedly lost consciousness several times. He was then allegedly made to clean his vomit and blood. The police reportedly put a pointed metal pole in his arm for two days. On the third day, the police brought a bigger metal pole and raped him with it, as a result of which he lost blood. At night, he was handcuffed against a metal battery. They reportedly handed him a questionnaire which included the following question: “Are you a member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir?” When he wrote that he was not a member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, he was allegedly beaten on the neck by an officer whilst two others held him. His body and especially his throat was reportedly so swollen that he could not eat nor drink. After the third day, he decided to sign a confession in order to stop the treatment he was allegedly being subjected to. He was reportedly unable to hold a pen as a result of the injuries. A doctor was said to have been called, who applied some bandages and he was allegedly beaten again. It is believed that the doctor was aware of what was going on, but was unable to ask questions. He gave Alimidin Khamidov two pills for the night and the morning and told the SNB officers that he should be eating rice. The doctor was reportedly sent away. Alimidin Khamidov was then ordered by the head of the Margilan SNB to sign a confession, which he did the following day.