CAT/OP/UKR/1 had access to one hour exercise per day in the yards, and that they were provided with 3 meals per day and drinking water. 92. The SPT recommends that the Ukrainian authorities conduct an independent audit of the material conditions of detention in police stations and ITTs nation-wide, with the aim to improve conditions where needed, bringing them in line with international standards, and create facilities in police stations where detainees spending more than 24 hours can have a minimum of one hour of exercise daily. The SPT further recommends the removal of door limiters. 2. Torture and ill-treatment 93. The SPT was alarmed to receive numerous and consistent allegations of torture and ill-treatment during police detention in Ukraine, especially during initial interrogation. This information was substantiated by the interviews conducted with detainees and inmates throughout the country, which provided evidence of the practice of subjecting persons deprived of their liberty to beatings during the initial period of arrest and interrogation by the police and, for those under lengthy investigation, during the periods of detention in ITTs as well. The methods included kicks and blows, using the fists, feet, bags of sand, and bottles of water. Furthermore, several persons stated that they had been subjected to asphyxiation and electric shocks to the ears and genitals. 94. The SPT also received allegations of persons who had been taken into arrest by the police with wounds or other health concerns, and had been denied medical assistance for prolonged periods of time, despite their requests. 95. Many interviewees indicated that psychological pressure had been used during the initial interrogation, including threats to themselves or their families. As mentioned earlier, persons interviewed indicated that they had been forced to sign confessions and to waive their right to legal representation. 96. The SPT considers the above allegations to be clear examples of physical and mental torture and ill-treatment. In light of the consistency of the allegations received, the SPT considers that there is a severe problem of systematic use of torture and illtreatment by the police in Ukraine. The SPT categorically condemns all acts of torture and ill-treatment and recalls that torture cannot be justified under any circumstance, and must be completely prohibited in accordance with international human rights law.45 The SPT reiterates its call for the Ukrainian authorities to condemn and criminalize any act of torture firmly and publicly, and to take the necessary steps to prevent torture and ill-treatment. The SPT reminds Ukraine of, and reinforces, CPT recommendations that a clear message of “zero-tolerance” of torture and other forms of ill-treatment should be delivered at the highest level and at regular intervals to all Internal Affairs staff, and should be relayed through professional training.46 In addition to those measures previously recommended in the preliminary observations and elsewhere in this report, preventive steps include inter alia the conduct of prompt, impartial and independent investigations, the establishment of an efficient complaints system, and the prosecution and punishment of alleged perpetrators. 45 46 Including article 7 of the Convention; the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR), article 3; and Rule 31 of the Standard Minimum Rules. See CPT/INF (2007), paras 20 and 21. 17