A/HRC/4/40/Add.3 page 5 Introduction 1. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, set up under resolution 1991/42 of the Commission on Human Rights, whose mandate was taken over by the Human Rights Council under its decision 1/2006, visited the Republic of Nicaragua from 15 to 23 May 2006 at the invitation of the Government of Nicaragua. The Working Group was represented by Ms. Manuela Carmena Castrillo, Spain, who was accompanied by the secretary of the Working Group and by one other official from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2. The visit included the capital, Managua, and the cities of Bluefields, capital of the autonomous region of Atlántico Sur, and Estelí. During its visit, the delegation had meetings with government authorities at national and provincial level, representatives of the National Assembly, members of the judiciary, officials from self-governing bodies, civil-society representatives, academics and other individuals. 3. The Working Group would like to express its gratitude to the Government of Nicaragua, the authorities of the department of Estelí and of the autonomous region of Atlántico Sur, and to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for their assistance with substantive and logistical elements of the organization and conduct of the Group’s visit. I. PROGRAMME OF THE VISIT 4. The delegation was able to visit the following custodial facilities and other correctional institutions: in Managua, the Tipitapa prison headquarters in Managua, the juvenile custody centre, the immigrants detention centre and the La Esperanza women’s prison; in Bluefields, the Bluefields prison and the police station; and, in Estelí, the local prison and the cells in one of the police stations. In these detention facilities, the delegation was able to have meetings in private with some 150 detainees. 5. The delegation held meetings with members of the National Assembly legislative committees on human rights, justice and security, with representatives of the Supreme Court of Justice and members of the National Judiciary Board; with presidents of the appeals courts of Managua and Estelí and with judges of the appeals court of Bluefields; and with officials from the ministries of internal and foreign affairs. They were also able to meet judges of different levels and jurisdictions; local and district judges; criminal enforcement and prison oversight judges; children’s and juvenile judges; representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, of the Public Defenders’ Office and of the Human Rights Ombudsman. The delegation was also able to have meetings with police authorities and representatives of the corrections, immigration and youth affairs departments. 6. In addition, the delegation had meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations working in the areas of human rights, the prisons system, women’s and children’s rights, the rights of the Miskito indigenous peoples, the rights of people of African descent and the rights of aliens and other vulnerable groups in the criminal justice system. The delegation also met private lawyers, representatives of the Bar Council, academics and representatives of United Nations agencies present in Nicaragua.