E/CN.4/1995/111 page 6 13. The years following Mr. Wako’s visit saw a number of legislative initiatives relating to human rights issues in Colombia. In 1991, a new Constitution came into force which contains a catalogue of fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as procedures for their protection, such as the writ of protection, or the establishment of the institution of the Fiscalía and the Defensoría del Pueblo. Further legislative initiatives dealt with judicial procedures and, in particular, introduced reforms in the institution of the Regional Justice. 14. Law No. 81 of 1993 contained a reform of the Code of Criminal Procedure, inter alia allowing lawyers, in procedures before the Regional Justice, to interrogate secret witnesses, even though their identity remained unknown, and revoking the decree that had prohibited the distribution of judicial files to defence lawyers. During 1993, the Constitutional Court issued a number of decisions by which it declared inexequibles several decrees limiting rights and guarantees in proceedings before the Regional Justice system. For example, the writ of habeas corpus was reinstated in such proceedings and the decree that permitted convictions to be founded on declarations of secret witnesses was revoked. Law No. 104 of 1993 amplified the scope of the witness protection programme and provided for guarantees for those movements of social and popular protest acting within the Constitution and the law. Decree No. 2535/1993, issued pursuant to Law No. 61 of 1993, modified the norms governing the carrying, holding, purchase and sale of firearms, as well as their registration, promoting the disarmament of the civilian population. Furthermore, Laws No. 30 of 1993 and 107 of 1994 enhanced human rights education. 15. Control mechanisms and human rights institutions were set up within the security forces. For instance, a human rights unit was established in 1992 within the General Command of the Armed Forces and, in 1994, within the Ministry for Defence. Law No. 62 of 1993 provided for a restructuration of the National Police, stipulating that human rights protection was essential to the mission of the police as an institution and that human rights issues were a central feature in the education of all police agents. Law No. 62 also created the position of a Comisionado Nacional para la Policía, who would coordinate the mechanisms of internal disciplinary control, to which a civilian was appointed. Non-governmental sources, however, drew the Special Rapporteurs’ attention to statements made by the first appointee to this post according to which he had seen his work restricted by resistance coming from high-level police officials. On 9 September 1993, a special human rights unit was created within the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad. 16. On 17 August 1993, the Minister for Defence issued Directive No. 0017 obliging all members of the fuerza pública to respect the norms of international humanitarian law contained in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Protocols additional thereto. On 6 September 1993, the Command of the Military Forces issued Directives Nos. 100-5 and 100-6 concerning, respectively, strict respect for international humanitarian law and the strengthening of programmes aiming at respect for human rights by all members of the military forces. A draft bill proposing adherence to Protocol II additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 was approved by the Senate in September 1994.