A/HRC/19/51 Ta’izz was caught in the crossfire and its inhabitants prevented from moving for days during the most violent episodes. Violence and the theft of solid waste-collection vehicles also prevented street-cleaning activities, one of the main sources of livelihood of the community. 46. According to the most recent update of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, thousands of migrants, mostly Ethiopian, were stranded in northern Yemen, where they face extreme hardship; more than 30 were reported to have died in December alone. V. Implementation of the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner 47. Some steps were taken to implement the recommendations made and contained in the OHCHR assessment mission (A/HRC/18/21). In the previous report, OHCHR recommended that the Government should release all prisoners detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression and assembly and who had not been charged with a criminal offence. The Military Committee for Achieving Security and Stability informed the delegation that the Government had detained 197 people since the start of the current unrest. According to the Committee, 66 of those detained remained in the custody of the Republican Guard, 10 were in the custody of the Military Police, one in the custody of Military Intelligence and another 80 were in the custody of the Ministry of the Interior. The Committee confirmed that most of the detainees were released as a gesture of good will, following the announcement of the release of all people detained in connection with the protests. The Committee stated that the 40 detainees still in custody were detained because they had been charged with serious crimes and would therefore be tried. The Committee confirmed having received a request from sources close to defected General Ali Mohsen to release a large number of supporters detained by the Government. The Committee added that it had reviewed the list and found that many of the names on it did not belong to those detained. 48. At the time of the mission, the Minister for Human Rights and the Minister for Legal Affairs informed the delegation that the blueprint for the establishment of a national commission of inquiry was being prepared and would soon be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. Both ministers provided assurances that the commission would operate independently and in accordance with international standards; its mandate would be to investigate any human rights violations committed in the context of the ongoing unrest; its commissioners would be people free of any political affiliation and appointed on the basis of merit and standing; and that the commission would also devise programmes for the awarding of compensation and reparations to victims. They noted, however, that the issue of prosecution was at risk of being left out altogether in view of the possible adoption of an amnesty law. 49. The delegation met with the Minister for Defence, the Minister for the Interior and representatives of the Military Committee for Achieving Security and Stability. It raised allegations made that civilians were being unlawfully detained in secret detention centres, and presented three names of people allegedly detained in undisclosed localities under the command of Central Security. The Committee assured the delegation that it would look into these individual cases. No information was received by the delegation. 50. The delegation also received information about the ongoing release of a number of people detained by Government forces in Ta’izz, some of whom had been transferred to Aden or Sanaa and were still awaiting release. 13