A/HRC/31/26 III. Cooperation with international human rights mechanisms A. Cooperation with the United Nations treaty bodies 54. The Secretary-General welcomes the continued engagement of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the treaty bodies, notably the submission of periodic reports and its dialogue with experts. On 11 and 12 January 2016, the Committee on the Rights of Child considered a periodic report (CRC/C/IRN/3-4) submitted by the State party for the first time since 2005. During the review, the Committee raised a wide range of issues, such as the legal definition of a child; the execution of juvenile offenders; discrimination against girls; children with disabilities; children born out of wedlock; unregistered refugees; migrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children; underage marriages; the practice of killings in the name of honour; and female genital mutilation (CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4). B. Cooperation with the special procedures of the Human Rights Council 55. The Secretary-General welcomes the increasing contacts and dialogue between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is encouraged by the expert-level dialogue on issues related to drug trafficking and addiction that took place in September 2015 between the Special Rapporteur and the Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations Office at Geneva and a delegation consisting of members of the judiciary, the High Council for Human Rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the chief of the antinarcotics forces. The Government has also provided substantive comments on the reports of the Special Rapporteur. However, the Government has yet to invite the Special Rapporteur to visit the country. 56. Meanwhile, the Government has invited the Special Rapporteur on the right to food and the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran; these are the first invitations issued to thematic special procedures mandate holders since 2005. The Secretary-General welcomes this development and encourages the Government also to authorize visits it has agreed to in principle by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. 57. Special procedure mandate holders transmitted 24 communications to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2015. Most communications referred to cases of torture and ill-treatment, executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists and human rights defenders, persecution of religious minorities, unfair trials and denial of medical treatment of detainees. The authorities responded to only 5 communications. IV. Recommendations 58. The Secretary-General remains deeply troubled by reports of increased numbers of executions, amputations, arbitrary arrests and detentions, unfair trials, and possible torture and ill-treatment of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists and opposition activists. He reiterates his call on the Government to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to prohibit executions of juvenile offenders in all circumstances. The Secretary-General encourages the Government to approve the proposed amendment to the anti-narcotics law which seeks to remove the mandatory death penalty for drug-related offenses. 16