A/HRC/20/12 19. On 2 March 2011, the draft law was adopted by Parliament at its first reading – two more readings are required before full adoption. The issue of the financial allocation is yet to be discussed by Parliament. 20. ROCA provided technical assistance on the elaboration of this draft law through the provision of legal expertise. ROCA also undertook advocacy with relevant government and parliament officials, organized public discussions and supported an awareness-raising campaign. ROCA is concerned that the reallocation of funds from the Ombudsman Institution to the national preventive mechanism may have an impact on the level of human rights activities undertaken by the Ombudsman Office. Draft Law on Peaceful Assembly 21. On 2 March 2012, Parliament approved the Draft Law on Peaceful Assembly at a second reading. The draft law has generally been commended by the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe and the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (ODIHR/OSCE). However, several shortcomings that are inconsistent with the Constitution and international standards remain, including imprecise wording of counter assembly, inadequate treatment of spontaneous assemblies, and blanket restrictions on assembly in certain locations. 22. ROCA has consistently advised on the development of the draft law on Peaceful Assembly through various public discussions, parliamentary public hearings and within the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Public Associations. Draft Law on Freedom of Religion and Religions Organizations 23. The Law on Freedom of Religion and Religious Organizations (amended in 2008), contains terminology and stipulates procedures that contradict the new Constitution and international standards. In particular, religious associations are banned from operating without registration and requests for registration are only valid if submitted by at least 200 citizens. The State justifies the restrictions on grounds of national security and similarly restrictive laws in neighbouring States. In general, its approach is to favour the perceived traditional religions of Islam and Christianity, while viewing the activity of others, perceived as non-traditional, with caution. 24. ROCA, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has provided technical assistance with the drafting process and developed provisions in line with international human rights standards. The proposed draft law is currently with the Ministry of Justice. Draft amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code 25. On 13 October 2011, Parliament created a working group, comprising Parliamentarians and Government representatives, to finalize and merge into a single draft law more than a dozen draft laws with proposed amendments and additions to the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure. The main objective of the draft amendments is to ensure compliance of the Codes with the new Constitution and international standards. 26. ROCA provided technical assistance by hiring international and national legal experts to assist in the development of the draft amendments. It supported discussions on the proposed draft to ensure compliance with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, and ROCA hopes that written comments provided by the experts will be taken into account by the drafters. 6