E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.2 page 82 prison officials start to suffer from the salt accumulating in their kidneys, 30 times in excess of the normal levels. 397. The Government informed that Jaslyk prison (UYA 64/71) was built taking into account all foreseen sanitary norms and international standards. The information provided by NGOs is based on wrongful information and rumours. Several diplomats, including the Regional Advisor of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia and journalists visited Jaslyk in 2003 and 2004. As a result of these visits, the work of the institution was positively assessed. In July 2004 a commission consisting of representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ombudsman, the Ministry of Justice, the National Human Rights Centre and the Ministry of Interior conducted a visit to study the conditions of the prisoners and found them to be normal. However, at a session of the inter-departmental working group it was decided to further improve the conditions and to establish permanent monitoring of the functioning of this colony. 398. Recommendation (u) stated: All competent government authorities should give immediate attention and respond to interim measures ordered by the Human Rights Committee and urgent appeals dispatched by United Nations monitoring mechanisms regarding persons whose life and physical integrity may be at risk of imminent and irreparable harm. 399. According to NGOs, in many cases the relatives of persons sentenced to death were informed about the execution of the sentence after they had submitted communications to the UN Human Rights Committee. 400. The Government informed that the Pardon Commission under the President takes steps in reaction to interim measures of the Human Rights Committee by submitting a petition to the Supreme Court. Since October 2004, the relevant state bodies took temporary measures with regard to eight persons sentenced to death, whose cases were submitted to the Human Rights Committee after the indicated period. The adoption and implementation of the national plan of action to implement CAT raised the awareness of state bodies about the functioning of the Human Rights Committee and improved the cooperation of institutions with UN human rights mechanisms. The concerned bodies (Supreme Court, Ministry of Interior, Prosecutor General, and National Security Service) take steps in accordance with the national law and norms of international law when they receive information about interim measures. 401. Recommendation (v) stated: The Government is invited to make the declaration provided for in article 22 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment recognizing the competence of the Committee against Torture to receive and consider communications from individuals who claim to be victims of a violation of the provisions of the Convention, as well as to ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention, whereby a body shall be set up to undertake regular visits to all places of detention in the country in order to prevent torture. It should also invite the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights defenders as well as the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to carry out visits to the country. 402. According to NGOs, despite all the efforts of the local and international community, the declaration provided for in article 22 of CAT has not been made. Moreover, the Optional