A/HRC/31/6 40. Sierra Leone remained concerned about reports of racial discrimination and encouraged Mauritania to enact anti-discrimination laws, especially with regard to deep-rooted prejudice and disparities in citizenship rights. 41. Slovakia acknowledged the establishment of the Tadamoun national agency to eradicate slavery. It remained concerned that, under the Penal Code, the death penalty could be handed down to minors and for crimes such as apostasy and homosexual acts. 42. Slovenia noted the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and the criminalization of slavery and torture as crimes against humanity. It was concerned about slavery-like practices and continued discrimination against women. 43. South Africa appreciated the fact that the national report set out the vision for the promotion and protection of human rights, including the prioritization of efforts aimed at the eradication of the consequences of slavery and contemporary forms of slavery. 44. Spain highlighted measures taken by Mauritania to combat slavery and torture, improve the situation of women and ratify human rights instruments. 45. Sri Lanka noted in particular the categorization of slavery as a crime against humanity, the creation in 2015 of an anti-slavery court and other national efforts following the 2012 constitutional review. 46. The State of Palestine welcomed the cooperation of Mauritania with the human rights mechanisms through the ratification of international instruments and the acceptance of visits by Special Rapporteurs. It also appreciated the efforts of Mauritania to bring national legislation into line with international standards. 47. The Sudan praised Mauritania for adhering to several human rights instruments, establishing a national human rights institution, implementing an action plan to empower rural women and adopting the road map to combat contemporary forms of slavery. 48. Switzerland expressed concern regarding the ongoing practice of slavery and the use of torture by security forces. It welcomed the fact that the death penalty had not been applied since 1987. 49. Sweden thanked Mauritania for the information related to the questions it had prepared in advance. 50. Togo commended the efforts of Mauritania to implement its international commitments and noted with satisfaction the integration of gender in public policies and programmes and the adoption of national strategies to abolish female genital mutilation. 51. Tunisia commended the efforts of Mauritania to empower women and promote their role in society by adopting the framework law to combat violence against women, and to increase women’s participation in political life. 52. Turkey welcomed the significant progress in the fight against discrimination, and noted the recent adoption of the law allowing civil society to bring civil actions in cases related to slavery. 53. Uganda welcomed the measures taken to criminalize acts of slavery. It was concerned about gaps in the provision of protection for victims, third party representation of victims in the courts and placement of the burden of proof. 54. The Mauritanian delegation responded to the questions prepared in advance. 55. Concerning the death penalty, the delegation recalled that it had observed a de facto moratorium since 1987, in other words, for the past 28 years. GE.15-22687 7/26