A/HRC/14/37 developed a national strategy on reproductive and sexual health, with the aims of improving maternal and postnatal health, encouraging family planning and avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Primary obstetric care was provided by health-care centres, to preserve the life and integrity of women facing obstetric emergencies. 242. Nicaragua did not support recommendations 6 and 7, on the introduction of the definition of torture in its legislation, in accordance with the Convention against Torture, as it considered that the definition of torture in its legislation was more comprehensive than that of the Convention. 243. Regarding recommendation 8, to eliminate the crime of defamation from the Penal Code, the recommendation was not appropriate, as the above-mentioned crime did not appear as such in its Penal Code. 244. Nicaragua supported recommendation 9, on the establishment of a national council on women, which was in line with Government policies. 245. Nicaragua supported recommendations 10, 11 and 25 to 29 on the dissemination and full implementation of the Declaration on Human Right Defenders. No State policy against human rights defenders existed, and the promotion and protection of human rights, besides being a Government policy, was a State commitment. Accordingly, Nicaragua supported these recommendations. It added that incidents affecting human rights defenders had originated in the private sphere and that the police had investigated all seven reports, which was not an alarming figure. Nicaragua had conformed to respect human rights and to promote human rights education at all levels in order to ensure tolerance and respect of human rights defenders, in close coordination with the Procuraduria para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos. Victims could also resort to legal remedies. 246. Nicaragua supported recommendations 13, 14, 40 and 41, on strengthening measures to tackle violence against women, stating that they were in line with its development policies, which focused on the “human being”. The new Penal Code of 2008 introduced domestic violence as a crime and provided for protection measures for victims. Other measures had been taken: offenders did not benefit from release on bail; crimes were tried by professional judges; the State promoted free access of women to justice; specialized police units promoted awareness-raising campaigns; and the Office of the Public Attorney had established a specialized unit on gender violence and a specialized office for the assistance of victims of crimes, adopted guidelines on domestic violence for prosecutors, and concluded an agreement to improve coordination with judges, police agents and forensic experts. 247. The right to freedom of expression was guaranteed by the State as a constitutional right. In that regard, recommendation 31 was not appropriate. 248. Nicaragua supported recommendation 32, relating to allowing civil society organizations to express themselves freely on Government policies. However, this right pertained only to national civil society organizations, since foreign or international organizations, by nature, could not interfere with the internal affairs of Government policy. 249. Regarding recommendation 33, which called for the establishment of an independent body to regulate the access to information, Nicaragua did not favour the establishment of such an organ; access to information was already regulated by the State through the Office for the Coordination on Access to Public Information. It added that access to information was guaranteed by law 621, which also provided for the habeas data remedy. 250. Nicaragua had noted recommendation 34, on measures to guarantee that opposition political parties could freely express their opinion, stating that measures had already been taken to guarantee this right, which was also protected by the Constitution. GE.12-17781 85