A/HRC/11/37 policies in the war on terror, and considered that a confession from a suspect of terrorism obtained as a result of torture was a blatant violation of human rights, in particular in view of the fact that the German law would not in normal circumstances accept those confessions as credible evidence. 191. The Organization for Defending Victims of Violence noted that German teachers wearing the hijab were discriminated against on the basis of their gender and religion, while exceptions were made for Christians and western cultural traditions. Another alarming issue was the increase of attacks by neo-Nazi criminal groups against migrants and minorities. It expressed concern about the conditions of the migrant population and called for more sensitivity towards them. It called on the Council to request Germany to increase its commitment to human rights and to pay attention to the neglect of freedom of expression and belief, which amounted to discrimination. 192. The Iranian Elite Research Center expressed concern at the neglect of the freedom of belief and religion. It noted that this issue in some German States had resulted in legal restrictions for Muslims, particularly women who faced religious and gender discrimination. The banning of religious clothes in some State-run schools violated the fundamental rights of Muslim women. The Center called upon Germany to review and reevaluate laws banning the wearing of religious signs and insignia in some States, so that the freedom of religion and belief of people would not be violated. It also called on the Government to take to Muslims the same non-discriminatory approach it takes to other religions. 193. The Arab Commission for Human Rights expressed concern at Germany’s refusal to accept the recommendation to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, noting that its argument remained unchanged since, at the time when the Convention was negotiated in 1990, regarding the Durban Review Conference, it noted Germany’s commitments to continue its fight against racism, and underlined the statements that democratic countries had enormous responsibility for the universal acceptance of the outcome document, particularly paragraph 66, which stated that the Holocaust should never be forgotten. 194. Amnesty International welcomed Germany’s acceptance of the majority of recommendations, including the upcoming ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It saw Germany’s contribution to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a strong commitment to consider its ratification in due course as announced in the national human rights plan. It welcomed the acceptance of the recommendation to fully respect provisions of international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture. Despite Germany’s assertion that it had always acted in accordance with these, Amnesty International expressed concern about the continued reliance on inherently unenforceable diplomatic assurances and the failure to introduce measures to prevent future renditions through its territory, including air space. It regretted that Germany had declined recommendations to strengthen efforts to prevent ill-treatment by law enforcement officials and to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. 195. The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network commended Germany for accepting recommendations to take further initiatives to combat hate crimes based on sexual orientation, strengthen measures to counter discriminatory attitudes, and include sexual orientation and gender identity in public education and equality programmes. It commended Germany for accepting recommendation 22 on the proposal to change the law governing gender registration of transgender people, granting them the right to maintain their existing marriages. However, concerns remained that the proposed law still contained 88 GE.09-16766