A/HRC/12/15 Page 11 49. Concerning election irregularities and voters list (Spain and Ireland), the presidential and local elections in March 2009 were successfully carried out and in accordance with international standards, securing the right of every citizen to freely cast the ballot. The voters list would be revised for which a working group has been established and a methodology for revision would be developed. 50. Concerning the Agency for the Rights of the Ethnic Groups Which Are Less Than 20 per cent of the Population (Ireland), the agency has been established, the Director and Deputy Director have been appointed and the premises have been provided, as well as the budget for its functioning. 51. As regards future implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and ethnic reconciliation (Hungary, France, Switzerland, Slovenia), in addition to the already presented information, the delegation informed that the Law on use of languages spoken by at least 20 per cent of the citizens in the country and in the units of local self-government, the Law on Committee on Relations Between Communities, Law on Protection of Rights of Members of Communities with Less than 20 per cent of the Population were adopted. The number of representatives of non-majority communities in the police, defense, State administration, local self-government and other bodies has increased. 52. Regarding free and equal access to education (Algeria), based on the data that most of the unemployed have completed primary education only and consequently do not have equal access to the job market, significant changes have been introduced in the area of education. The Law on Secondary Education introduced compulsory free secondary education. Free textbooks for the primary and secondary education have been provided, as well as free public transport for students and all other related benefits. The coverage in the secondary education for this year is 94 per cent. An announcement for parents to enroll their children to schools in the study year 2009/2010 was published. To reduce the school dropout rate for Roma children, the Government provided 650 scholarships to Roma children (this measure will continue), free textbooks, free transportation and reduced the necessary scores for enrollment in competitive secondary education by 10 per cent for Roma children. The construction of secondary school has started in the municipality in Skopje dominantly inhabited by the Roma population. 53. Concerning external oversight of the work of the police (France), the delegation informed about the project carried out in cooperation with experts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe which consists of three pillars – strengthening of the role of the Ombudsman, of the Public Prosecution Office and the establishment of an external oversight mechanism. The third segment of this project is still in the pipeline. 54. Denmark commended the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, but remained concerned about the use of ill-treatment in police custody and subsequent impunity of the perpetrators. It was also concerned aobut reports of police violence against members of minority groups, particularly against the Roma and the lack of effective investigation of such cases and asked about measures undertaken to ensure the absolute prohibition of torture. Denmark commended the Government’s support of the joint statement on sexual orientation and gender identity delivered at the General Assembly, but noted that sexual orientation is not a prohibited ground of discrimination. 55. Greece cited reported problems with the judiciary, including interventions of the executive power, delays in judicial proceedings, corruption in court system and a practice of

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