A/HRC/6/19 page 72 provided testimonies to the human rights monitors in the three States of Darfur. These testimonies appeared in UNMIS Human Rights weekly reports. The ACHR report provides information about meetings with victims with the human rights monitors. The report also states that UNMIS victims were not exposed to rape, attacks or any kind of abuse or questioned by the Police. The Government provided the group with information in writing and orally that pertained to the protection of victims and witnesses as provided by the Interim Constitution 2005, Evidence Act 1994, Criminal Act 1991 and the Criminal Procedure Act 1991 and stressed that witnesses who have been interviewed by UN human rights monitors had not been victimized. The group, however, did not receive information about the application of these norms and programs to protect witnesses. Information Received from Other Sources on Recommendation 1.5.1 The unpredictable security situation in North and South Darfur has impacted negatively on efforts to monitor and document the human rights situation. In both areas, the upsurge in car-jacking incidents targeting humanitarian aid and human rights officers forced the grounding of several road field missions to investigate reports of serious human rights violations. In North Darfur, due to increasing hostilities against peacekeepers, air trips have also been limited. In South Darfur, clashes between Government and SLA/MM factions and insecurity in Kalma camp in Nyala, in addition to recent events in Muhajiria, have halted human rights monitoring activities since the beginning of October 2007 in these regions. Assessment of Implementation of Recommendation 1.5.1 This recommendation has not been implemented. The group did neither receive information on this issue from other sources nor information from the government about the existence of specific legal norms and programs to protect witnesses. 1.6 Protection of human rights defenders Recommendation 1.6.1 Short-term Do not subject human rights defenders to arbitrary detentions, physical abuse and harassment as a tool for silencing their criticisms of human rights violations in the Darfur region and for providing legal assistance to victims. Indicator: Number of reported cases. Response of the Government of the Sudan on Recommendation 1.6.1 The Government stated that it did not violate the human rights of human rights defenders. It also provided a list of more than 170 licensed lawyers working in Darfur defending in daily basis the victims. One of these lawyers is the winner of 3 prominent prizes for human rights defenders, Mr. Salih Osman Mahmoud who is currently a member of the Parliament.