A/HRC/36/3 73. Cuba noted the measures taken to ensure the functioning of the criminal justice system and the development of the capacity of the national police to respect human rights in the course of law enforcement. It also noted the implementation of the country’s Economic Vision 2030 on the basis of sustainability, equity and competitiveness and the promotion of human rights. 74. Cyprus noted with satisfaction efforts made to comply with international human rights obligations. It encouraged continued efforts to strengthen capacity-building and training in the area of law enforcement with the aim of ensuring full respect for human rights. 75. Czechia expressed appreciation for the responses to some of its advance questions. It welcomed the submission by Bahrain of the voluntary midterm report. 76. Denmark remained concerned by the human rights situation, which included ongoing violations of the rights to freedom of expression and to freedom of association and assembly and arbitrary arrests of citizens. Denmark noted with serious concern the particularly high number of denaturalizations of Bahraini citizens since 2012. 77. Djibouti noted the adoption of measures to implement the recommendations from the second cycle, in particular on implementing, with OHCHR, a programme for technical cooperation and capacity-building, including civil society. 78. Egypt expressed appreciation for legislative efforts, particularly laws related to judicial authority, domestic violence, political associations, labour and families. It welcomed the establishment of national mechanisms to promote human rights, including the supreme coordination committee for human rights, the commission for the rights of prisoners and detainees and the Office of the Ombudsman. 79. Estonia expressed disappointment about incidents of reprisal against human rights defenders, in particular the travel ban imposed on Sayed Hadi al-Musawi, who was supposed to speak at the pre-sessional meeting for the review of Bahrain. It expressed regret about the executions that had been carried out and called for a moratorium on the death penalty. 80. Ethiopia commended the Government for the measures taken to implement the recommendations from the previous cycle and for its positive engagement with OHCHR in the light of consultations and agreements reached on cooperation projects in several areas, including to build the capacity of law enforcement officers. 81. Finland expressed a strong hope that, following the executions in January, Bahrain would return to its de facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to establishing an official moratorium. 82. France said that the fight against terrorism must be undertaken with due respect for human rights. It asked about national monitoring mechanisms. France expressed concern about the executions that had been carried out, and called on Bahrain to respect freedom of expression and the freedom of the press. 83. Germany commended Bahrain for its efforts to strengthen the mandate of the national institution for human rights and welcomed the amendments to the law on political societies, which provided for the separation of religion and politics. Germany remained concerned about the recent application of the death penalty and troubled by reports about human rights defenders being banned from travelling to attend pre-sessional meetings for the current universal periodic review session. 84. The head of the delegation of Bahrain stated that the death penalty was applied only to a limited number of serious cases. There were adequate safeguards in Bahraini law for the imposition and application of the death penalty. The penal code provided for the possibility of commuting a death sentence to a life sentence or imprisonment for a lesser period if the crime was committed under circumstances that justified commuting the death penalty. 85. The nationality code was aligned to international standards. Nationality could be withdrawn or lost, in accordance with the law. To protect society against acts of terrorism, 8