situation has considerably improved within the past two years. He emphasized that all these places of detention are open to visits from various organizations and invited the delegation to visit all of them. 66. On the issue of slavery, the Minister stated that Mauritania, just like some other African countries, has been affected by slavery, and that the eradication of slavery was at the centre of Government policy. He outlined the various legislative and policy measures put in place by the Government to fight against slavery and admitted that the practical application of the anti slavery law had not led to a complete eradication of the phenomenon. He stated that the law was just a first step and the Government, NGOs and other partners are working to make sure that those who continue to practice slavery are prosecuted and punished. 67. Responding to a question from the Chairperson on the existence of secret places of detention and the disappearance of some detainees, especially those suspected of terrorist activities, the Minister said to the best of his knowledge, no such places exist and no detainees are known to have disappeared. He stated that Mauritania is affected by terrorism and the Government is making all efforts to fight the phenomenon. All terrorist suspects, he said, are given a fair and open trial and those found not guilty are acquitted. He cited a number of terrorist acts that were purportedly planned from within prison and for this reason some terrorist suspects have been isolated in order to prevent them from spreading their ideas among other detainees and planning attacks. He however emphasized that the International Committee of the Red Cross has been allowed to visit such cases at all times. 68. Concluding, the Chairperson thanked the Minister for receiving the delegation and recommended that efforts be made to criminalize torture, ratify OPCAT and continue to improve conditions of detention as well as rectifying the weaknesses in the anti-slavery law amongst other things in order to enable NGOs work more effectively to assist victims. xi. Meeting with the President of the Supreme Court , 28 March 2012 69. Mr. Seyid ould Kayellani, President of the Supreme Court received the CPTA delegation in his offices atthe Supreme Court. After the usual courtesies, the Chairperson briefly gave an overview of the African human rights system, the place of the African Charter and the activities of the African Commission. She indicated that in terms of Article 26 of the African Charter, the judiciary is recognized as a guarantor of the rights enshrined in the Charter, and also noted that the African Commission has adopted a resolution on the Independence of the Judiciary and Principles of Fair Trial in Africa. The Chairperson further 24 | P a g e