A/HRC/4/41 page 22 Belarus Number of outstanding cases at the beginning of the period under review 3 Cases transmitted to the Government during the period under review Cases sent under Cases sent under the urgent action the standard procedure procedure 0 Number of cases on which the Government has replied 3 (See paragraph 94) Cases clarified during the period under review by: Government Non-governmental sources 0 0 Multiple replies on some cases General allegation Prompt intervention letter Working Group request for a visit N/A N/A N/A N/A 0 Number of outstanding cases at the end of the year under review 3 Number of cases of possible clarification by Government (6-month rule) N/A Government response Government response Government response N/A N/A N/A Information from the Government 94. Two communications were received from the Government of Belarus. One communication, dated 25 July 2006, could not be translated by the United Nations translation services in time for consideration by the Working Group for inclusion in the present report. In another communication, dated 11 August 2006, the Government replied on the three outstanding cases, stating that the preliminary investigation into those cases was continuing and that no new information had been obtained on the whereabouts of the victims. Information from sources 95. No new information was received from sources concerning outstanding cases. Press release 96. The Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group issued a joint statement, dated 26 March 2006, with six other United Nations independent experts, expressing serious concern over the human rights situation in Belarus. Reportedly, at least 1,000 protesters, including numerous Belarusian and foreign journalists, were being held in detention in Minsk and the Minsk district and in most cases, family members were unaware of their whereabouts. Summary of the situation prior to the period under review 97. The three reported cases occurred in 1999. The first one concerned a former Minister of the Interior. The two other cases concerned a Deputy Chairman of the Parliament who was reportedly abducted together with a businessman from an opposition political party. Total cases transmitted, clarified and outstanding 98. Of the three cases transmitted by the Working Group, none has been clarified. These three cases therefore remain outstanding before the Working Group.