A/HRC/10/21 page 14 China (E/CN.4/2005/6/Add.4), Ecuador and Turkey (A/HRC/4/40/Add.2 and 5, respectively). No replies have been received from the Governments of Honduras (A/HRC/4/40/Add.4) or Nicaragua (A/HRC/4/40/Add.3). Belarus 24. The Government of Belarus submitted information concerning the recommendations made by the Working Group on the outcome of its visit, carried out from 16 to 24 August 2004. With regard to the recommendation concerning taking all appropriate measures to guarantee the effective independence of judges and lawyers, the Government reported that a new Code on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges had been adopted on 13 January 2007. The Code has set forth all the fundamental principles necessary for safeguarding judicial independence. Judges may not be transferred to another position or court without their personal consent and are inviolable during their term of office. They may not be held to account for any opinion they express during the administration of justice or for the decisions they hand down. The Bar Act establishes that the bar is an independent legal entity which assures genuine professional self-government and enables lawyers to combine their efforts to establish and strengthen the rule of law. No court may refuse to recognize the right of a lawyer to represent the interests of a person who applies for legal assistance. The activities of the National Bar Association, the provincial bar associations, the Minsk City Bar Association and the specialized Belarusian bar association “Belinyurkollegia” are governed by statutes adopted by the associations’ higher authorities. 25. In relation to the recommendation concerning reconsidering the legal framework relating to pretrial detention, the Government reported that the procuratorial body must decide whether to initiate proceedings within 12 hours of the actual arrest. If no decision is taken, the detained person must be released. On the expiry of a 72-hour period, an appropriate preventive measure must be imposed or the detained person must be released from custody. Article 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure sets out the guarantees allowing persons who are detained to have the legality of their detention, remand or house arrest, reviewed by a court. 26. The Government reported that, between 2004 and 2007, the Penal Correction Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs implemented a raft of measures to reduce the number of persons being held in remand centres and prisons and to provide detainees with the living space required under health standards. The aggregate number of persons being held in remand centres and prison remand wings is currently within the set limit. The Supreme Court and the Procurator-General of Belarus are informed by the Penal Correction Department of instances in which cassation courts have exceeded the legally established time limits for the consideration of criminal cases and cases in which courts have extended custody after the deadline stipulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Concerning detention of juveniles, the Government reported that since 2005, work has been under way on the elaboration of a draft juvenile justice policy with the participation of all interested organizations, including UNICEF. 27. In relation to administrative detention, the Government reported that a Code of Administrative Procedure and Enforcement was adopted on 20 December 2006, and had been in force since 1 March 2007. The Code provides an extensive and detailed description of the rights and duties of the participants in administrative proceedings. Its norms extend, inter alia, to