A/HRC/43/74 61. UNAMA/OHCHR continued to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Justice in drafting anti-discrimination legislation to protect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, and other vulnerable groups. UNAMA/OHCHR regularly attended meetings of a working group tasked with reviewing progress on the drafting of the law. 62. UNAMA/OHCHR actively continued its long-standing engagement with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. On 17 July, following a selection process lasting more than a year, the President of Afghanistan appointed nine new commissioners (including four women, including the new Chair). UNAMA/OHCHR further strengthened its cooperation with the Commission on issues relating to its functional review and financial sustainability, its re-accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, transitional justice, cooperation with civil society actors, and other areas. 63. In March and April 2019, the Commission held public hearings across 33 provinces as part of its national inquiry on the role of women in peace and security in Afghanistan. UNAMA/OHCHR attended hearings in Kabul, Bamyan, Herat, Helmand and Kandahar provinces, where it advocated for the promotion of human rights and women’s rights in peace processes. IX. Safety of journalists, media workers and civil society actors 64. During the period under review, UNAMA/OHCHR documented incidents affecting 25 journalists and media workers (including two women) due to their work. Of the victims, four were killed (one by the Taliban, one by ISIL-Khorasan Province, and two cases could not be attributed) and six were injured (three by the Taliban and three by ISIL-Khorasan Province). The remaining 15 cases involved threats or intimidation, temporary arrest or deprivation of liberty, beating or other ill-treatment attributed to governmental, progovernmental or anti-governmental elements. Casualty figures slightly decreased compared to the previous year, when 10 journalists and media workers were killed and 15 were injured. 65. On 24 June, the Taliban published a statement warning media outlets to stop airing “anti-jihad propaganda paid for by the Government” lest they be considered military targets, following government commercials calling upon the public to report any suspicious activities to the authorities. Following the Taliban statement, two journalists resigned and a local radio station closed. 66. UNAMA/OHCHR documented incidents affecting 10 civil society activists (including five women) involving threats, beating and temporary arrests in relation to their work. Five incidents were attributed to the Taliban, three to the Government and one to a local religious group. In one case, the perpetrators could not be identified. X. Cooperation with United Nations human rights mechanisms 67. In 2019, UNAMA/OHCHR continued to support the Government to strengthen its capacity for increased engagement with United Nations human rights mechanisms, including the universal periodic review. 68. From 7 to 9 January, UNAMA/OHCHR implemented a technical assistance programme to support the Government, civil society organizations and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission in implementing the recommendations made by the treaty bodies and in the context of the universal periodic review. The programme comprised a series of three workshops attended by 106 participants (including 21 women), including by members of the interministerial committee and of the delegation participating in the session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review at which Afghanistan was reveiwed, civil society organizations and the Commission. 69. In January, during the third cycle of its universal periodic review, Afghanistan received 258 recommendations. At the forty-first session of the Human Rights Council, the Government accepted 235 recommendations, noted 22 and partially accepted one. The 11