E/CN.4/1990/17 page 61 with the investigation of illegal acts committed by police officers, including ill-treatment of detainees. Sixty police officers have now been trained for this task. Any citizen can file a complaint with the office. When the investigation is concluded, the file, with a summary of its contents, is presented to the Director General, who determines what measures will be taken if the police officer is found guilty. These measures can comprise disciplinary measures, including dismissal from service. The case can also be brought up for a criminal procedure before a court; in that caBe the file is transmitted to the Attorney-General's office. Since the creation of the office, 500 cases have been taken up, 100 of which have been concluded. The Director General stressed the fact, that apart from the importance of the corrective measures taken in the case of abuse of authority, the mere existence of the office also had a preventive effect. The fact that policemen knew that their conduct might be scrutinized acted aB a deterrent. 194. Since 1986 a number of institutions have been created with various tasks in the field of human rights. Article 273 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission of Congress and a Procurator for Human Rights. 195. The Human Rights Commission of Congress is composed of one deputy for each party represented in Congress and presently consists of 13 members. Its most important function originally was the nomination of candidates for the post of Procurator for Human Rights but it has also acquired other tasks, mainly of a legislative character: the Commission can recommend the adjustment or updating of existing laws in the light of the human rights provisions of the new Constitution and the international instruments to which the country is a party. It can also discuss the human rightB situation in the country in a general way. As a result of such a discussion the Commission adopted a resolution on 12 September 1989 in which it aBked for the appointment by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights of an impartial Special Rapporteur with investigative powers regarding the serious violations of human rights in Guatemala. In this resolution, which was adopted with only one vote against (the representative of the governing party voted in favour), the Commission expressed its concern about the escalation of uncontrollable violence in all sectors of society. 196. During discussions with the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the CommiBBion it was said that the Commission had come to the conclusion that the civilian Government had lost control and that international pressure might help to improve the situation. The relationship between the civilian Government and the army had been uneasy from 1986 on. Within the army there were different factions, some of which did not approve of the democratic system, as evidenced by the various coup attempts. It was understood that these factions were gaining strength and were destabilizing the country. International pressure might be needed to strengthen the democratic forces and to curb the anti-democratic factions. 197. The Procurator for Human Rights is appointed by Congress and has, according to the Act of 1986 in which his mandate is elaborated (Lev de la Comision de Derqchos Humanos del Congreso de la Republir.a y del Procurador r^ los Derechos Humanos)t broad investigative powers into alleged human rights violations. He is assisted by two deputies. According to Deputy Procurator Figueroa, over 1,200 complaints were filed with the office in 1988, of which 218 were found to be violations; almost all these cases concerned