informed the Mr. Seyid ould Kayellani, of the purpose of the CPTA Mission to Mauritania. She noted that the judiciary, being one of the most important institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, it was only fitting that the delegation of the African Commission call on the President of the Supreme Court to learn how the judiciary in Mauritania was ensuring that citizens enjoy their rights. She also wanted to know how judicial independence was assured, the role of the judiciary as a whole in the application of laws, oversight of detention conditions and the fight against slavery and torture. She informed the Mr. Seyid ould Kayellani, that after the Mission, the CPTA would prepare a Report, which would be forwarded to the Government for comments before it is published. 70. In his response, Mr. Seyid ould Kayellani thanked the delegation for having found time to come to Mauritania and for the visit to his Chambers. He was of the view that most judges in Mauritania are not aware of the African Charter and the activities of the African Commission, and noted that it is important that from time to time, the African Commission should make such visits to publicize itself. He informed the delegation that despite some political challenges which the country has gone through, Mauritania is ruled by a democratic constitution and Judges are committed and obligated to respect human rights. He stated that the Supreme Court is the symbol of judicial power in Mauritania and that the new regime has been doing much to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, which had before then, been totally under the control of the Executive. 71. On the practical application of laws, especially the law against slavery and safeguards against the risk of torture and ill-treatment, Mr. Seyid ould Kayellani admitted that this was still fraught with a lot of difficulties. He outlined in detail, the organization of the judiciary in Mauritania and described the criminal procedure from arrest through incarceration or release. He also informed the delegation about the various guarantees against torture and illtreatment contained in the Mauritanian Criminal Procedure Code. He regretted the fact that some of these guarantees are not often respected especially by the police and blamed this on the lack of legal aid and human rights training which he said was largely absent in Mauritania. He informed the delegation that the Supreme Court has been making efforts for legislation on legal aid to be enacted but this has for long been blocked at the level of the Ministry of Justice despite the fact that the Government has consented to it and funds made available for that purpose. He said there were no lawyers in the courts in the interior of the country and emphasized the need for the government and the Bar Association to make sure that legal assistance is available in any part of the country. 72. On slavery, the president stated that the courts have been very active in fighting against the practice and stated that many slavery cases have been tried in the 25 | P a g e