A/HRC/44/5 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its thirty-fifth session from 20 to 31 January 2020. The review of Guinea was held at the 2nd meeting, on 21 January 2020. The delegation of Guinea was headed by the Minister of State, Minister of Justice of Guinea, Mamadou Lamine Fofana. At its 9th meeting, held on 24 January 2020, the Working Group adopted the report on Guinea. 2. On 14 January 2020, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Guinea: Bulgaria, Denmark and Mauritania. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of Guinea: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/35/GIN/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/35/GIN/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/35/GIN/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Portugal, on behalf of the Group of Friends on national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay was transmitted to Guinea through the troika. These questions are available on the website of the universal periodic review. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The delegation stated that Guinea was convinced of its progress in the promotion and protection of human rights, but also aware of the challenges it faced. Guinea remained a country that hoped for the support and guidance of its peers for the consolidation of human rights, to which it was resolutely committed. The participation of Guinea in the third cycle of the universal periodic review was proof not only of the commitment of Guinea to continuing to include the issue of human rights among the fundamental and priority questions, but also of its will to consolidate its relations with all the mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights. 6. The universal periodic review constituted a formidable framework for a responsible and uncompromising assessment of the evolution of human rights. Since the advent of the third republic in 2010, following the election of Alpha Condé as President, the Government had made immense efforts within the framework of the promotion and protection of human rights relating to, among other things, many of the recommendations from the previous review. Those included the strengthening of institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights, such as the national human rights institution and the national ombudsman, and the abolition of the death penalty in the new Criminal Code promulgated on 26 October 2016. The voluntary abolition of the death penalty opened the way to the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. 7. Other efforts in that area included the criminalization of torture, which had previously been included under assault and battery; the preparation and adoption of a national policy statement for the promotion and protection of human rights; the development and adoption of a national inclusion programme for people with disabilities; the creation in 2017 of the 2