18 2. Celia Asto-Urbano, mother of Wilson García-Asto Wilson García-Asto, the witness’ son, left his house on June 30, 1995, at noon. Celia Asto-Urbano started to worry when her son did not come back from night school. She called his brothers, who told her that Wilson was not with any of them; she also called a schoolmate of her son’s, who told her that Wilson had not gone to his night classes, although he had to sit for an exam. At about 11:30 p.m., the witness and her husband, the alleged victim’s father, left their house in search of their son in hospitals and other places. They returned home at about 3 a.m., without having found him. They left their house again at 6 a.m., in order to find out about him at the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público) and in the jail of the Palace of Justice, where they were recommended to look for him in the DINCOTE. When they got there, the witness and her husband found the name of the alleged victim written in the front desk register. Two police officers let them into a room to identify the detainee. The police officers told them that they would take the detainee outside and carry out a residence search. Faced with the threat that both the witness and her husband would be arrested if they did not allow the search to be conducted, Celia Asto-Urbano allowed them to proceed with the search because she was worried about her children who were at home, and because her son “does not do anything wrong.” Four police officers entered the house to conduct the search. One police officer stayed in the van with the alleged victim, who was tied up, hands and feet. The police went into the alleged victim’s bedroom and searched his books, lifted up his bed, opened his chest of drawers, shook his belongings one by one, and called a prosecutor several times so that he would come over and sign the search record. After going over all the alleged victim’s belongings, the police officers decided to seize his computer. They told the witness that they would return the computer the following day, but to that purpose she would have to sign a document. When she refused, they told her that if she did not sign the document, they would also arrest her and another of her sons, Gustavo, brother of the alleged victim. Mrs. Asto and her two sons who were in the house signed the document in the belief that they would return the computer. Next, they handed the document over to Wilson García-Asto, who had been held tied up in the van for about three hours, since they had started searching the house. They untied his hands and he signed the record, which turned out to be the residence search record. Almost two hours later, two prosecutors arrived at the house. One of them signed the search record, and they all left the place taking the computer with them —which they never returned. The alleged victim was held incommunicado for fifteen days in the jail of the Palace of Justice. He was then transferred to Castro-Castro Prison, where he was held incommunicado for thirty more days. After the period during which he was held incommunicado, he was only allowed to receive visitors once a week. He was allowed to receive food and beverages only once a week, through the police officers who were in charge of delivering the goods to detainees. In order to be able to visit the inmates, visitors had to queue long hours in the open, regardless of the weather conditions. Police officers meticulously scrutinized all objects visitors were carrying with them. Visitors were also searched by guards, who, while doing so, would mock the witness. On July 2, 1999, the radio broadcasted news about an outburst of violence in Castro-Castro Prison, so the witness rushed to the place to