A/HRC/42/2 political opposition. It expressed concern with corruption, including at the highest political level, indicating that ill-gotten gains were a key element in the problems faced by the country, where the authorities cumulated the country’s wealth, leaving the people in poverty. 792. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation regretted that recommendations pertaining to safeguarding civic space and fundamental freedoms had not been implemented and that serious restrictions on freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression had increased. It expressed deep concern by the recent announcements by the Government that it had closed the Center for Studies and Initiatives for the Development of Equatorial Guinea. It called on the Government to immediately take proactive measures to implement all universal periodic review recommendations, particularly those pertaining to removing restrictive laws and practices that undermine civic space, and to create an enabling environment for journalists, human rights defenders and activist to work without fear. 793. The Health and Environment Program commended the commitments made by Equatorial Guinea to promote the adoption of the programme for health for all in the context of the National Economic and Social Development Plan for Horizon 2020, as well as its accession to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. It called on Equatorial Guinea to take the necessary measures to accede to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. It urged Equatorial Guinea to reinforce action to strengthen and develop the legal framework to address cross-sectoral environmental challenges, including climate change mitigation and adaptation. 794. United Nations Watch stated that the Government had made limited progress since the country’s 2014 review. It expressed particular concern with the arbitrary use of torture and violence carried out by security forces against the political opposition. It noted that in October 2018, 24 members of the country’s main opposition party had been released from prison and that reports indicated that detainees had been subject to torture. It called on the Government to bring domestic law into compliance with international human rights obligations, which could be attained with, among others, the ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and by strengthening capacity-building programmes. 795. Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme stated that the implementation of the recommendations from the two previous cycles had been inadequate and noted the drastic restriction of political space since the last legislative elections of November 2017. It indicated that Equatorial Guinea remained one of the African countries that is farthest behind in respect to democratic alternation. It noted that, after the attempted coup d’état in January of 2018, there had been reports of a wave of arrests of opposition activists, human rights defenders and civil society actors who had been accused of sedition, insurgency, and disturbing public order. It invited Equatorial Guinea to combat corruption, poor conditions of detention and prison overcrowding. 796. The United Towns Agency for North-South Cooperation expressed concern at reports of arbitrary detentions taking place in Equatorial Guinea in violation of the right to freedom of expression. It called on Equatorial Guinea to prosecute the perpetrators of these serious crimes and respond to allegations of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and persecution of political opponents and civil society activists. It also called on Equatorial Guinea to lift restrictions on the media by amending relevant legislation and bringing it into conformity with international standards. 797. The African Association of Education for Development stated that, during each universal periodic review cycle, as was the case once again, Equatorial Guinea had committed to implementing the majority of the recommendations received. It indicated that, nevertheless, the situation had not improved and, civil society activists and human rights 118