A/HRC/4/41 page 17 62. Victims of human rights abuses, human rights defenders and others have criticized the new measures for failing to uphold the rights of victims and their families to truth and justice. Some have reportedly been intimidated by State agents to stifle criticism. 63. Finally, it has been reported that the President of the National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights publicly declared that 183 of the 6,146 disappeared persons registered in the Commission’s files had been found alive. NGOs have reported that the veracity of this statement could not be confirmed. A list of the names of these persons has not been published. 64. No response was received from the Government regarding the general allegation. Request for a visit 65. The Working Group first transmitted a request for an invitation to undertake a visit to Algeria in 2000. The Working Group has sent reminders of this request but has not yet received a reply. Summary of the situation prior to the period under review 66. The majority of the cases reported to the Working Group in the past involved persons who reportedly disappeared between 1993 and 1997 and concerned a wide variety of persons from across Algerian society, including children, women and elderly people. The disappearances were attributed to the army, the security services, the gendarmerie, the police, civil defence forces, or the militia. Total cases transmitted, clarified and outstanding 67. In the past and during the period under review, the Working Group has transmitted 1,640 cases to the Government; of those, 9 cases have been clarified on the basis of information provided by the Government, 9 cases have been clarified on the basis of information provided by the source and 1,622 cases remain outstanding. Observations 68. The Working Group expresses deep concern that little progress has been made in clarifying cases of disappearance in Algeria. New cases arising from the 1990s continue to be received by the Working Group and are being transmitted to the Government of Algeria. 69. The Working Group strongly recommends that the Government of Algeria allow NGOs to undertake their work freely and without impediment, that families of victims of disappearances be left free to organize without bureaucratic restriction or legislative obstacles, and that witnesses be protected. 70. The Working Group reminds the Government of Algeria of its obligations under article 14 of the Declaration “to bring to justice all persons presumed responsible for an act of enforced disappearance”.