E/CN.A/1992/17 page 23 (a) José María Cabascango, secretary of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, and other indigenous community leaders were allegedly arrested by army personnel on 11 June 1991 in Cajas, province of Imbabura and taken to Ibarra and handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department; (b) Isaac Rómulo Bustos Bermúdez was allegedly arrested by members of the Criminal Investigation Department on 28 February 1991 and held incommunicado for several days on police premises in Babahoyo, province of Los Ríos. Egypt Urgent appeals and Government replies 72. On 2 January 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Egypt concerning Mustafa Mohammad Said Al-Sharqawi and Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Ibrahim Sallam, reportedly arrested at the end of September 1990, and Hassan Mohammad Isam'Il Mohammad, reportedly arrested in October 1990, allegedly for having converted from Islam to Christianity. Mustafa Mohammad Said Al-Sharqawi was said to be held at abu Za'Abal prison, while the other two men were said to be detained at the State Security Intelligence Police (SSIP) detention centre in Heliopolis. It was alleged that these persons had been subjected to torture and that two of them had appeared at a court hearing on 16 December 1990 in bad physical condition, allegedly suffering from hunger and the effects of continuing torture. 73. On 11 February 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Egypt concerning Dr. Muhammad Abdul Latif Tala'at, a medical doctor and director of a publishing company, who was arrested on 23 January 1991 and whose whereabouts were unknown. The arrest followed the publishing by Dr. Tala'at's company of a statement by the Egyptian Medical Association critical of the attacks by the allied forces on Iraq. Dr. Tala'at had reportedly been arrested in June 1989 and detained for three months, during which time he was allegedly subjected to torture, including electric shocks and threats of sexual abuse. Fears were expressed that, in light of his past experience, he might be subjected to physical and psychological torture or ill-treatment. 74. On 19 February 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Egypt concerning Dr. Mohamed Mandour and Dr. Emad Atrees. Dr. Mandour, a psychiatrist and member of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), was arrested on 8 February 1991. The date of arrest of Dr. Atrees was not given, but both were reportedly being held at the State Security Headquarters known as Lazoghli. Their arrest, under administrative detention orders, as well as that of several other persons, including university students and Palestinians, was reportedly connected with their activity as opponents of the Gulf war. In the light of reports in the past that people detained under similar circumstances were allegedly subjected to torture, fears were expressed that the safety and physical integrity of the aforementioned persons might be in danger. 75. On 5 March 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the Government of Egypt concerning Hamdeen Sabahi, a journalist and political activist who was arrested on 26 February 1991 by the Egyptian State Security