A/HRC/39/13 the protection of human rights in the Russian Federation was carried out both at the federal and the regional levels, which was undoubtedly the most important guarantee of compliance for the realization of human rights. 9. Special units had been set up to combat corruption within governmental bodies. Law enforcement agencies had been actively working to uncover corruption crimes. Citizens could report on known facts involving corruption. During the reporting period, more than 40,000 criminal cases involving corruption had been brought before the courts. Responsibility for indirect forms of bribery had been established as a criminal offence, in compliance with international obligations. 10. Measures had been taken to protect against discrimination, promote tolerance and counteract various forms of intolerance. The definition of discrimination was contained in the Criminal Code. The national strategy on action for women had been approved to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, and the State nationalities policy strategy had been adopted to prevent and eradicate all forms of discrimination, including on the basis of ethnicity or nationality. 11. The strategy on countering extremism in the Russian Federation had been adopted in 2014. Extremist activities were defined by criminal law and were prosecuted. They included incitement to social, racial, ethnic or religious hatred; promotion of superiority or inferiority of a person on the basis of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic grounds; propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi or similar symbols; public incitement to the commission of those acts; mass production and distribution of materials of that content; and organization and preparation of those acts, their financing and incitement to their implementation. The Criminal Code contained over 10 crimes related to motivations involving political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity. Particular attention had been paid to the prevention of racial intolerance and other extremist manifestations during major international sports competitions in the country. 12. Policies and strategies had been adopted on the protection of socially vulnerable groups, including the national strategy on action for children, the strategy for the development of education, and the framework for the State family policy. A draft law was being prepared on the prevention of and protection against domestic violence. For people with disabilities, programmes had been developed to create comfortable living conditions, to integrate them into society and to promote their employment. In 2017, a federal law had been adopted that established a system of State control over the access of persons with disabilities to facilities and services. 13. During the reporting period, the Russian Federation had taken further steps to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. The digitalization of the judicial system was gaining momentum and procedural and penitentiary reforms had been undertaken. Alternative punishments to deprivation of liberty were being given preference, including fines and community service, which had resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of prisoners. 14. Currently, over 225,000 non-profit organizations were registered with the Ministry of Justice. About half of them were socially oriented and focused their work on solving social problems. Those non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and those working to promote and protect human rights received additional support from the State authorities, including through special Presidential grants. 15. A key governmental objective was providing social support to the population. That included poverty reduction policies, such as the establishment of the minimum wage at the equivalent to the minimum living standard as of 2019, child allowance, support for medium-sized enterprises, including a simplified taxation system, strengthening the responsibility of employers for late payment of wages, compulsory social insurance, and the development of prenatal centres. 16. Developments in the education system were currently focused on rural areas, and included human rights education and improving the public’s legal literacy. 17. The rights of numerically small indigenous peoples were enshrined in the Constitution. Measures had been taken to develop education in national languages and 3