E UNITED NATIONS Economic and Social Council Distr. GENERAL E/CN.4/2004/56 23 December 2003 Original: ENGLISH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Sixtieth session Item 11 (a) of the provisional agenda CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE QUESTIONS OF TORTURE AND DETENTION Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Report of the Special Rapporteur, Theo van Boven* Summary The Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, Theo van Boven, submits his third report to the Commission. Chapter I summarizes the activities of the Special Rapporteur in 2003. Chapter II describes the types of communications sent to the Governments by the Special Rapporteur and describes the urgent appeals procedure. In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur draws attention to a number of guarantees for individuals deprived of their liberty with a view to protecting them from the risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Chapter IV examines the question of HIV/AIDS and torture. Chapter V contains some information on the follow-up to the preliminary study of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of trade in and production of equipment which is specifically designed to inflict torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, its origin, destination and forms (E/CN.4/2003/69). The annex to the report contains an index of the reports submitted by the three successive mandate-holders. A summary of communications sent by the Special Rapporteur and the replies thereto from Governments from 15 December 2002 to 15 December 2003, as well as a number of country-specific observations, is found in addendum 1 to the report. In addendum 2, the Special Rapporteur presents his report on his visit to Spain. A summary of the information provided by Governments and non-governmental organizations on implementation of the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur following country visits is found in addendum 3. * The endnotes are circulated in the language of submission only. GE.03-17327 (E) 070104

Select target paragraph3