A/HRC/25/9 13. The delegation affirmed that in combating torture the constitutional amendments of 2011 included the explicit prohibition of torture. Article 208 of the Penal Code criminalizes torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Guidelines and manuals for investigating torture crimes and for pretrial detention have been prepared to help judges and prosecutors to register and prosecute cases of ill-treatment and to reduce pretrial detention. 14. The delegation stated that public security personnel do not enjoy any kind of immunity from prosecution. Suspects are tried before the Police Court, which is independent and tries public security personnel. The amended Public Security Act provides for the inclusion of civilian judges in the police court in order to increase the appropriate guarantees for a fair trial. Grievance mechanisms are available for anyone who wishes to complain. Protection of the rights of the child will be increased through the draft child rights act and a national framework to combat child labour has been prepared to protect children from economic exploitation. Social care services have been improved through adopting quality assurance mechanisms. 15. The delegation stated that in order to continue efforts to improve the living conditions of persons with disabilities, Jordan had taken many steps aimed at achieving this goal, including supporting their right to live independently, integration in the community and self-reliance. 16. The delegation indicated that Jordan continued its cooperation and constructive dialogue with the treaty bodies and special procedures, including submitting its reports. 17. With regard to the promotion of freedom of opinion and expression, in addition to the constitutional guarantees, the delegation noted that Jordan had enacted legislation that provided an enabling environment for freedom of expression and the free exchange of information as one of the pillars of its democratic transformation. It launched the national media strategy for the years 2011–2015, which aims to create an environment that supports independent media and establish the appropriate legal framework to ensure a balance between freedom and responsibility. The committee in charge of monitoring the implementation of the media strategy completed work on a number of pieces of legislation, such as the Press and Publications Law, Law on the Protection of State Secrets and Documents, Audiovisual law and Law on Access to Information. 18. The delegation stated that in 2012 parliament amended the Press and Publications Law to regulate the work of news websites and in order to increase transparency and accountability. There was a desire on the part of owners of news websites and the Government to organize the profession and to protect the sector from intruders who have practiced embezzlement, defamation and blackmailing to a degree that threatened social peace. The law includes several positive measures, such as the prevention of imprisonment of journalists, and has reduced the length of litigation procedures. The law does not impose fees for registration of news websites. The Government cannot block licensed websites without a court order. The provisions of the law do not affect the level of press freedom and have not reduced the level of criticism of Government policies. The law requires editors to be members of the journalists’ union and also guarantees the rights of workers to social security and health insurance. 19. The delegation emphasized the Government’s openness to dialogue with everyone about all laws and regulations. No registration request has been refused to any electronic news media. Thirty two radio stations, 44 local television stations and140 news websites are licensed while 118 specialized websites are outside the scope of the Press and Publications Law. 20. The delegation emphasized that, in order to combat the abuse of foreign workers, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour makes field visits ensuring the safety of the work 5