E/2002/27 E/CN.6/2002/13 and months at a time, in unspeakable conditions for health and safety, resulting in many deaths. 7. The Working Group noted the inhumane treatment, sexual harassment and torture of women in custody, including indigenous women. It also noted violations of the right to freedom of expression, wrongful arrests and gender specific discriminatory practices, such as virginity testing, rape and sexual assault at work, and employment-related fines and penalties tied to family planning. 8. The Working Group noted the poor conditions of detention and the forcible repatriation of refugees, including pregnant women and nursing mothers, of a particular ethnic group and the rape of a number of the women concerned by soldiers. It also noted that a number of those persons, including women, died of suffocation during their journey by cargo train to their neighbouring country of origin. 9. The Working Group noted the ongoing harassment, including acts of violence, intimidation and death threats, of women human rights defenders, women journalists and women members of the political opposition, by members of the police. The Working Group also noted the violation of the basic human rights of human rights defenders, including women, by, for instance, the misuse of forcible psychiatric treatment, the intimidation of lawyers representing detainees and family members and the use of charges of unlawful assembly to prevent the persons concerned from carrying out their legitimate activities. 10. The Working Group noted the large number of communications indicating that, in one case, a harsh system of rule had revoked nearly all of the rights and freedoms of women guaranteed to all persons under the Charter of the United Nations and various human rights instruments. Flagrant violations included denial of their civil and political rights, their economic, social and cultural rights, including their freedom of movement, their right to work and their access to education, employment and health care. The Working Group noted that women had been beaten, imprisoned and even killed for disobeying decrees issued under the system of rule. The Working Group welcomed the recent changes governing the situation of women in that case. It identified impunity of perpetrators of violations of the rights of women as a continuing concern. Report considered by the Commission on the Status of Women under agenda item 4 11. At its 16th meeting, on 25 March, on the proposal of the Chairperson, the Commission decided to take note of the report of the Secretary-General assessing the implications of the reforms of mechanisms in the human rights area (1503 procedure) for communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/2002/12) (for the text, see chap. I, sect. C, decision 46/103). 49