E/CN.4/1990/17/Add.l page 11 for accused persons, part of which could be reserved, as a separate unit, for persons suspected of having committed security-related offences, as recommended in paragraph 42, above, would be a commendable measure. 46. As regards the question of administrative detention, the Special Rapporteur feels that the Government should clarify its position on this issue. As long as it is practised, the conditions under which a person may be temporarily detained should be laid down and should be subjected to judicial control by the Supreme Court. 47. The fact that the Department of Rights and Freedoms of the Citizen is authorized to receive complaints from citizens who claim that their fundamental rights have been violated is another indication that meaningful steps have been taken to strengthen the rule of law in Zaire. The Special Rapporteur visited two of the Department's local offices in Kinshasa and talked with the main delegates of these offices. The main delegate is a person who is chosen from people who have a good reputation and authority in society and is assisted by two lawyers and an administrative staff. The local offices are easily accessible to the public. The Special Rapporteur was impressed by the commitment of the persons he met. He was informed that sometimes the authorities to whom the complaint referred were unco-operative and were obviously not yet used to the new developments, he was also informed that members of some of the law-enforcement forces still tended to be rather indifferent to the rights of the citizens who often fell victims to harassment. It could, therefore, be recommendable to strengthen the position of the local offices in order to enable them to take corrective measures on the spot. 48. The Special Rapporteur could not avoid noting that the resources of the local offices were minimal. No means of transport was available and there was no telephone. Under such circumstances, work was extremely difficult and was certainly less effective than if it was done in more adequate conditions. In view of the priority given to human rights issues by the Government, it may be recommended that the local offices be provided with appropriate equipment in order to enable them to carry out satisfactorily their highly important task. 49. In conclusion, it can be said that until recent years, the legal and institutional framework in principle guaranteed the respect for human rights quite satisfactorily, but that in actual practice the system did not work properly. The result was that in a considerable number of cases even the most basic human rights, like the right to physical and mental integrity, were violated. The creation of DDLC can be seen as a remarkably bold effort to revitalize the long-neglected system of checks and balances. The Zairian Government must be commended since it decided to approach the question in a comprehensive way, reflected in the Department's work programme: consciousness-building, training and formation, co-ordination between the various Government organs and redress. It is precisely this comprehensive character which makes the creation of the DDLC a unique experiment. As stated earlier, it is still too early to evaluate the outcome of the experiment. But it can only be successful if all branches of Government are fully prepared to strictly comply with the rules. 50. It has to be recognized that the authorities are hampered in carrying out their programme by the fact that the existing infrastructure is badly deficient and as a developing country Zaire will face tremendous difficulties in improving this infrastructure. As the Special Rapporteur said in previous