A/HRC/43/CRP.7 47. OHCHR understands that the majority of those interviewed were initially detained under ‘preventive arrest’221 and held incommunicado with no access to a lawyer or relatives. Relatives of detainees were not provided with information about their whereabouts or detention for long periods of time.222 For example, one detainee told OHCHR that during the first three months of his detention, he could not contact his relatives or send information to them.223 Another detainee held in the premises of the ‘ministry of state security’ was told, “While you are in the basement, no one would be able to find you”. 224 ‘Investigation’ and related torture or ill-treatment 48. In most cases, ‘investigative actions’ began soon after the apprehension, with interrogations conducted in the premises of the ‘ministry of state security’ or the ‘ministry of interior’. The majority of detainees told OHCHR that they were interrogated by ‘operatives’ of the ‘ministry of state security’. Three detainees told OHCHR that they believe “FSB officers” also participated in interrogations based on their accents.225 49. Most detainees were interrogated about their alleged affiliation or cooperation with the SBU. Detainees were forced to confess to working with the SBU, or to provide information about their past activities, plans and accomplices. Typical questions were: “Did you collect information about ‘LPR’ military forces and pass it to SBU?”226; “Who you worked for? Who are your accomplices?”227; “Who are your curators in the SBU? What is your call-sign?”228 One detainee was not questioned, as an ‘investigator’ stated there was enough evidence against him, and only given some papers to sign.229 50. In the majority of cases, interrogators immediately threatened detainees with physical violence or rape, or that their relatives would be raped if they refused to confess or otherwise cooperate with the ‘investigation’.230 For example, one female detainee was told: “who knows if your family will wake up safely at home?’231; another female detainee was told: “we will put you in a cell with male detainees”232; one male detainee was told “we will detain your mother”233; another male detainee was told “we will take your kids and your wife and rape them here”234; and a third male detainee was told: “we won’t kill you, but we’ll give you a permanent disability”.235 Detainees told OHCHR they believed that threats were imminent and credible. In one case, an interrogator pointed a gun to the victim’s head and forced him to read a confession on camera.236 51. All but two individuals interviewed by OHCHR reported having been subjected to torture or ill-treatment during interrogations. The most common purpose was to extract confessions about alleged affiliation or cooperation with the SBU, as well as to punish for it. For example, one detainee told OHCHR that three men in camouflage and balaclavas seated her with her hands cuffed behind the back of the chair, and stunned her with electric stun guns to her feet. Afterwards, they cuffed her hands in front, told her to stand and started punching her in the back. During this, they accused her of cooperating with the SBU. 237 Another detainee told OHCHR that perpetrators taped him to a door which had been taken off its hinges, attached clamps to his ears and administered electric shocks with a TA. They 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 46 ‘Preventive arrest’ was introduced in February 2018. For more information, see footnote 37 in the body of the report. OHCHR interviews, 5, 13 and 16 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 14 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 5 January 2020. OHCHR interviews, 5 and 13 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 16 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 14 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 14 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 14 January 2020. OHCHR interviews, 2 and 13 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 20 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 2 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 16 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 16 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 3 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 2 January 2020. OHCHR interview, 2 January 2020.