A/HRC/7/56 page 8 government officials and their relatives in illegal logging activities. Journalists were warned not to report on or reproduce extracts of the report and the French language newspaper Cambodge Soir was shut down by its board after a two-day strike by journalists protesting against the sacking of one of their number who had reported details of the Global Witness report. The Office monitored and provided protection to individuals in the context of several acts of intimidation connected with the report. 19. The commune council elections took place on 1 April 2007 under conditions that were generally characterized by observers as fair. The Office monitored the election campaign as part of its regular programme activities, but no monitors were recruited, unlike for previous elections. OHCHR was pleased to note that the months preceding the campaign showed a marked decrease in political violence, such as killings or other violent attacks on opposition party supporters, as compared to previous elections. This is a very welcome development. 20. The Office also monitored the trial of the opposition politician and former co-Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, on dubious charges of breach of trust related to the sale, allegedly for personal gain, of the former headquarters of the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), which he led until 2006. The handling of this case by the courts will continue to be an important test as to whether verdicts are determined on the basis of evidence and the law or other considerations, in the context of the forthcoming legislative elections. 21. During the course of the year, the Office has intervened with the Government on a number of cases in which criminal actions were brought against individuals for certain political activities, in spite of medical evidence that these individuals might be suffering from mental disorders that result in diminished responsibility. The justice system does not provide sufficient safeguards to protect the rights of people with mental health problems. C. Rule of law and the justice sector 22. The Office continued to follow with keen interest developments in the justice sector - a sector to which it has devoted much attention and resources in the past 14 years. Its rule of law programme works with relevant government institutions, to support their efforts to ensure that laws comply with international human rights standards and are effectively implemented. A key concern and criterion for its assessment of the system is the extent to which the people whose rights have been violated are able to obtain an effective remedy through the courts. The assessment of the Office is that this happens exceptionally, and that the poor and vulnerable are usually not able to obtain justice through the courts. Basic procedural guarantees and rights are routinely violated, such that people often become victims of the justice system. This helps to explain the widespread popular distrust of the justice system, often regarded as a mechanism for further abuse. 23. During 2007, the Government has passed further important milestones in its legislative reform programme. The entry into force of the Code of Civil Procedure on 1 July 2007 was followed by the Code of Penal Procedure on 30 August 2007. These are essential landmarks in the new legal landscape. Following their adoption, a programme of training of judges and prosecutors was launched under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice to familiarize them with