A/HRC/26/10
had been amended in 2010 and the amendments implemented in December 2013.
Amendments to the Civil Procedure Code had been implemented in 2011. Since January
2013, following the implementation of the amendments to the Law on Courts, all newly
appointed first instance judges had been required to be graduates of the initial training
delivered by the academy for judges and prosecutors. New information technology software
had assisted monitoring of the length of court proceedings since June 2013. Forthcoming
activities would be concentrated on the implementation of the framework for further
development of the judiciary, which had been adopted in September 2013, and the
delegation enumerated the priority areas within the framework.
8.
The delegation referred to the range of remedies available for the review of judicial
decisions as well as the possibility of accessing the European Court of Human Rights and
the individual complaints procedures of the treaty bodies.
9.
Turning to non-discrimination, the delegation highlighted the adoption in 2010 of
the Law on the Prevention of and Protection against Discrimination (LAPD), which
prohibited direct and indirect discrimination and included a non-exhaustive list of grounds
for discrimination. The Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPAD) had
been established under that law in 2011. The mandate of the Ombudsman had been
strengthened in 2009 with the establishment of departments for the protection of children’s
rights and the rights of persons with disabilities, and the protection of citizens against
discrimination, torture and ill-treatment, and for equitable representation. The 2012-2015
National Strategy on Equality and Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Ethnicity Affiliation,
Age, Mental and Physical Disability and Gender had been adopted, as had the 2013
Operational Plan for its implementation.
10.
The new Law on Equal Opportunities, adopted in January 2012, explicitly
prohibited all forms of discrimination against women in all spheres of society. The 20132020 Strategy and the 2013-2016 National Action Plan on Gender Equality had been
adopted in line with that Law. Furthermore, the 2012-2015 Strategy on Gender Responsive
Budgeting had been adopted, under which State administration bodies were obliged to
mainstream the principle of equal opportunity. Every ministry had coordinators to oversee
the implementation of the Equality Strategy.
11.
The Government had adopted the 2012-2015 National Strategy for the Prevention of
and Protection against Domestic Violence and the delegation mentioned that the Law on
Social Protection had introduced new forms of non-institutional protection, such as centres
for victims of domestic violence, which provide a range of services to victims.
12.
Regarding freedom of expression, the delegation confirmed that the Government had
developed the Law on Civil Liability for Defamation and Insult in cooperation with the
Association of Journalists and with international expertise. With its adoption in 2012, acts
of defamation and insult had been removed from the Criminal Code. In 2013, the
parliament had adopted the Law on Media and the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media
Services following a wide consultation process with all stakeholders. Continued dialogue
with journalists had resulted in a number of amendments to the laws being passed in
January 2014. The new amendments specifically promoted and encouraged freedom of
expression and ensured that restrictions on media content complied with the case law of the
European Court of Human Rights. In December 2013 the Council for media ethics had been
established as the self-regulatory media body. The Government was committed to the
continuation of the dialogue with the media representatives in order to address the
remaining issues, including government campaigns, the strengthening of the role of the
public broadcaster and improving the standards of journalism. The Broadcasting Council
had improved its enforcement record regarding the illegal concentration of ownership and
conflicts of interest.
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