A/HRC/31/48 April; both had been injured by blows from batons wielded by gendarmes in the Hamdallaye neighbourhood of Ratoma. 16. The security forces have not drawn up a report to determine the origin or circumstances of the shootings and did not come to the aid of the victims, who were transported to health-care facilities by the Red Cross, their families or other protesters. 17. Following the violence on 13 and 14 April, on 15 April the Government announced that an investigation would be conducted to determine responsibility; the findings have not been made public. 18. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials encourage the use of non-violent means to disperse crowds. 4 The use of weapons must be exceptional and can only occur in cases of absolute necessity or self-defence to protect the lives of third parties or to arrest a person who presents a danger and is resisting the authority of law enforcement officers. In the event of illegal gatherings, the use of force should be limited to cases of absolute necessity and be exercised in keeping with the principles of necessity and proportionality. 19. The security forces also carried out mass arrests during the protests and arrests of persons assumed to be close to the opposition. In April and May 2015, staff of the country office went to police and gendarmerie stations where they visited over 100 people who had been arrested during the opposition protests. Some people stated that they had been arrested in the street or at home. According to consistent victim statements, many had been released once their families had paid the arresting police officers or gendarmes an amount ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 Guinean francs (US$ 25 to 65). 20. During clashes between opposition supporters and the President ’s sympathizers in September 2015 in Koundara, in Boké administrative region, security forces allegedly came from Boké to restore order and arrested 35 individuals suspected of violent acts, along with mere passers-by, including a visually impaired person who was detained at the Boké prison. B. Right to physical and psychological integrity 21. Significant challenges remain with regard to the manner in which suspects are questioned, especially in cases of serious crime. The country office has observed that it is during the arrest and preliminary investigation stages that most acts of torture are committed by members of the security forces, either to punish the suspects or to force them to admit their guilt or name any accomplices. 22. In 2015, the country office monitored the cases of three foreign men who claimed to have been tortured at the premises of the organized crime unit in May 2015. They were suspected of being involved in the murder of the project coordinator of the Peacebuilding Fund in Guinea in February 2015. In December 2015, they were being held at Conakry prison. 23. The country office has collected information on other cases amounting to inhuman or degrading treatment. In January 2015, staff of the country office met with 32 pretrial detainees held at the civilian prison of Forecariah who were all arrested for destruction of public and private property, bodily harm and assault against officials __________________ 4 GE.16-00828 The Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials were adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held in Havana from 27 August to 7 September 1990. www.ohchr.org/FR/Professi onalInterest/ Pages/UseOfForceAndFirearms.aspx. 5/15