E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2 page 109 Alex Sandro Santos da Nóbrega, Antônio Gomes Ferreira de Araújo, Elias Fernandes dos Santos, Edilson Santos Barbalho and Luiz Ferreira da Silva, detained at the Silvio Porto Penal Prison in João Pessoa, were reportedly beaten by 30 to 40 police officers on 12 July 2000. The officers, some of whom were allegedly masked, reportedly used wooden sticks, baseball bats, clubs and guns to beat them and allegedly shot into the air several times. Prisoners were also allegedly verbally abused. It is believed that an attempted break-out occurred on 7 July 2000 and the police officers were searching for the tools used. A judge reportedly visited the prison and photographed the detainees’ bodies and tape recorded their reports about the incident. According to the information received, there are witnesses to the case. The detainees are said to have constantly been threatened by the prison guards not to comment about the incident. An inquiry was allegedly opened on 14 July 2000 and three prisoners with less severe beating marks than the others reportedly underwent an official medical examination on 15 July 2000. State of Paraná 186. Valdir José Chamoskovisk, a detainee at the Central Prison of Piraquara, also known as “General”, has reportedly been kept for seven years in an isolation cell and has only very recently been allowed to be visited by a doctor. He is reported to be suffering from mental illness. He was reportedly sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. 187. Valdecir Bordignon, Lorival Lesse and Aristide dos Santos Lisboa, agricultural workers, were among a group of 30 families that reportedly occupied a farm in Paraná on 26 April 1999. On 29 April, two court officials, some 10 officers from the civil police Special Operation Group wearing black vests and masks, two plain clothes civil police officers and 20 military police officers arrived at the farm with a court order requiring the families to leave. The workers reportedly intended to leave the area right away, but the police officers allegedly barred them from doing so and forced them to sit in the sun for five hours. They are also said to have verbally abused the workers, to have threatened to beat them and to rape the women. Four police officers reportedly took Valdecir Bordignon away and handcuffed, kicked and punched him. He was allegedly beaten with clubs and his head submerged in the cattle’s drinking pool. Officers are said to have interrogated him about the leadership of the landless movement (movimento dos sem terra, MST). He allegedly answered that he did not know. He was then reportedly dunked eight times, finally losing consciousness. He was allegedly pushed onto the ground and then woken up. Officers reportedly stepped on his neck, and threatened to “impale” him with a stalk of sugar cane. He was then allegedly forced to kneel and, with a knife and a gun held to his neck, forced to eat half a kilo of cattle manure. According to the information received, after two and a half hours of torture, he was reportedly forced to sign the court order. According to the information received, he was taken with other farm workers to the Ortigueira police station where they allegedly reported the incident to a judge. The latter reportedly registered the case as an arrest in flagrante delicto and ordered them detained. They allegedly underwent an official medical examination on the same day. It is reported that the medical report registered lesions consistent with the allegations. They were reportedly taken back to the police station, where they reportedly remained for four days. They were later transferred to the Ponta Grossa jail, where they allegedly remained for about 38 days. Military police officers are said to have constantly threatened to rape their wives and to kill them when the prison guards