A/HRC/4/41 page 73 Information from the Government 348. The Working Group received six communications from the Government of the Russian Federation. Three of the communications, dated 26 July, 16 August and 18 September 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 the other three communications, the Russian Federation provided additional information on 12 outstanding cases of enforced disappearance. 349. In a communication dated 15 September 2005, the Government stated that for five of the outstanding cases, pretrial investigations had been suspended, for one case, the decision to suspend pretrial investigations had been overturned and for another case, pretrial investigations had been resumed. In one case the Government also reported that measures to establish the subject’s whereabouts were being carried out and a query had been sent to the Republic of Uzbekistan. 350. In a communication dated 24 February 2006, concerning three construction workers who disappeared together in 2005, the Government reported that the procurator’s office had opened a criminal case in accordance with article 126 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abduction). In a communication dated 20 March 2006, the Government stated that a decision not to continue criminal proceedings in the cases of two persons had been overturned. Information from sources 351. Information was received from sources concerning four cases. Additional information on two cases from Chechnya and one from Moscow was transmitted to the Government. The fourth response provided information on where the person was imprisoned in Uzbekistan. Clarifications 352. Based on the information provided by the source on the location of the subject in prison in Uzbekistan (see paragraph 11), the Working Group decided that the case should be considered clarified. General allegation 353. Information was submitted by NGOs to the Working Group concerning alleged obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration by the Government of the Russian Federation (see paragraph 14). This information was transmitted to the Government. 354. According to such reports, many enforced disappearances are perpetrated by federal troops in Chechnya. Allegedly, between 3,000 and 5,000 people have disappeared since 1999. Those detained are reportedly ill-treated and eventually killed. This practice of disappearance occurs in an overall climate of impunity. Although in most instances local prosecutors do launch criminal investigations, the prosecutors routinely suspend them shortly thereafter, stating that it is impossible to establish the identity of the perpetrator. In most cases, however, investigators reportedly fail to take basic investigative steps.