E/CN.4/2003/8/Add.3 page 8 Fray Francisco de Vitoria Human Rights Centre, the National Network of Human Rights NGOs “All Rights for All”, Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) and Sin Fronteras, among others. 10. At the State and regional level, the following organizations were among those that cooperated with the Working Group: Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos “Bartolomé Carrasco Briseño”, Organización de Pueblos Indígenas Zapotecos (OPIZ), Coordinadora Oaxaqueña Magonista Antiliberal (COMPA), Consejo Indígena Popular de Oaxaca, Frente Civil de la Sierra Sur, Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS), Centro de Derechos Humanos y Asesoría a Pueblos Indígenas de Tlaxiaco, Red Oaxaqueña de Derechos Humanos, Centro de Derechos Humanos Tlachinollan de Guerrero, Centro Apostólico Ignaciano de Jalisco, Frente Independiente de Pueblos Indios de Oaxaca, Frente Indígena Oaxaqueño Binacional (FIOB), Comunidad Zimatlan de Lázaro Cárdenas, Centro de Derechos Humanos Tepeyac del Istmo de Tehuantepec, Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, Comisión de Derechos Humanos Mahatma Gandhi and Organización de Pueblos y Colonias de Guerrero. 11. In all the States visited and in the Federal District, the authorities provided unrestricted access to prisons, detention centres, immigrant holding centres and the military prison. The delegation was able to talk freely both with prisoners chosen at random and with prisoners whose names were on lists given to the Working Group in advance by relatives and by international and Mexican NGOs. 12. The Working Group attached particular importance to the conversations and consultations with NGOs, lawyers, jurists, academics and experts. Among the most interesting conversations were those with the authorities of the Mexican Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados de México), as well as with Professor Miguel Sarre, Director of the Centre for Public Law Studies of the Autonomous Technology Institute of Mexico (ITAM), and Professor Carlos Ríos. II. THE MEXICAN LEGAL SYSTEM A. Constitutional and institutional framework 13. The supreme power of the Federation is divided into the legislative, executive and judicial powers (article 49 of the Mexican Constitution). It is a presidential system, in which the President is both Head of State and Head of Government. The legislative power at the federal level is exercised by Congress, which consists of two houses elected by universal direct suffrage. Mexico has a multiparty system dominated by three political parties: the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), which held a dominant position for over 70 years, the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) and the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD). There is also a house of deputies in each federal State whose task is to adopt local laws. 14. The Mexican federal system shares jurisdiction and power between the local judiciaries (in the 31 federal States) and the federal judiciary. The exercise of this power is vested in the Supreme Court. The Council of the Federal Judiciary (article 94 of the Constitution) was set up recently (in 1995) and is responsible for administration, supervision, discipline and professional