A/HRC/6/19 page 19 52. The Government submitted to the group of experts a copy of a letter sent in mid-October 2007 by the Advisory Council on Human Rights to the Director of UNMIS Human Rights inviting United Nations human rights officers to visit all detention facilities in Darfur. The letter does not cover access to places of detention in Khartoum, where people are held for reasons connected to Darfur. The governmental delegation stressed that no complaints regarding the application of the letter had been received to date. However, the group was informed by United Nations sources that the letter had not improved access, which continues to be granted on an ad hoc basis only. On 24 October 2007, the Director-General of Prisons in Darfur to whom the human rights team presented the letter when requesting access to Shalla prison in El Fasher considered the letter “irrelevant”, as it had not been issued by the Minister for the Interior. While access was previously possible on an ad hoc basis to pretrial detainees in Ardamata prison in El-Genenia, authorities excluded such access in September 2007 without prior authorization from the Minister for the Interior. Access to other places of detention in the western part of West Darfur also remained blocked. In North Darfur, United Nations human rights officers were in general able to conduct interviews with detainees, although not always in private. The situation in El Fasher was however completely different. United Nations human rights officers have not had access to Shalla prison containing over 400 detainees, or Kherkhaniga women’s prison, since mid-2006. In contrast, access in SLA/MM-administered areas was generally granted. As regards South Darfur, United Nations human rights officers were allowed to carry out monthly visits to the NISS detention facility in Nyala and to conduct unsupervised interviews with detainees. After the visit, the human rights officers were requested to provide feedback on findings to NISS officers. Access to military intelligence facilities was, on the other hand, denied. With regard to State-run prison and police cells, United Nations human rights officers used to enjoy a certain degree of access; however, they have received information that new instructions were recently issued by the Minister for the Interior in Khartoum, requiring his approval before access could be provided to the State-run prison. With regard to access to police cells, human rights officers have had access upon approval by the State Prosecution Office, although authorization was often difficult to obtain. As in North Darfur, access to SLA/MM detention facilities was easier. 53. With regard to other recommendations, the group of experts received information from the Government that the 2006 draft bill for setting up a national human rights commission in accordance with the Paris Principles was still pending in Parliament (recommendations 4.1 and 4.7). The Government indicated that it would not issue a standing invitation to special procedures mandate holders (recommendation 4.4), though indicated its willingness to invite them on an ad hoc basis. It did not provide information regarding the recommendation to set up systems for recording violations of human rights and ensuring the effective functioning of documentation centres within the human rights units of the Ministries of the Interior, Defence and Welfare (recommendation 4.5). As regards the evaluation of the functioning of the state committees to combat violence against women (recommendation 4.6), a task force with representatives of the Government and the international community conducted a visit in early September 2007 and issued a joint report, with recommendations to increase technical and financial support for the committees, provide needed information and establish mechanisms to provide health and psychosocial support to victims of violence against women.