A/HRC/8/25 Page 6 B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 13. During the ensuing interactive dialogue a number of delegations welcomed the commitment and constructive approach of the United Kingdom towards the Universal Periodic review process. The United Kingdom was commended on its broad consultations with civil society in preparing the State report. 38 delegations made statements. 14. The Syrian Arab Republic noted that the United Kingdom does not associate terrorism with any religion and that it considers that terrorists do not represent or belong to any faith. It asked, nevertheless, for an explanation of the reference in paragraph 80 in the report of the United Kingdom to granting a range of powers to the police, the security forces and the intelligence agencies in the context of combating terrorism. It noted that detention of suspects could be extended to 42 days while the scrutiny of evidence is confidential and the suspect and his advocate are not allowed to witness the scrutiny process. The Syrian Arab Republic also stated that the new laws are clearly designed for specific groups. It asked what the difference is between section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism Acts of 2005 and 2006 and any emergency or martial laws adopted by some states in exceptional circumstances. 15. Belgium welcomed the establishment in 2007 of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. It particularly welcomed that the Commission is responsible, inter alia, to combat discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation. Belgium also referred to the 1998 Human Rights Act and, as noted in the State report, that this piece of legislation has been the subject of hostility among the media in the United Kingdom. Belgium noted with interest various measures for public education on human rights, and asked about the functions and successes of the newly created mechanism of human rights press officers. 16. The Russian Federation noted that since the adoption of the Magna Carta in 1215, it had taken 700 years for one of the most developed countries in the world to reach universal suffrage, in 1928. In this regard, the Russian Federation considered that the United Kingdom should continue to show understanding about the human rights situation in other countries, particularly in those which have quite recently been freed from their colonial past. Russia recommended that the United Kingdom: (a) elaborate a national programme to combat the problem of overcrowding of prisons; (b) consider removal of its reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict; (c) enshrine in legislation the right of access of detainees to a lawyer immediately after detention and not after 48 hours; and (d) introduce strict time limits on detention without an accusation of those suspected of terrorism, and provide information about so-called “secret flights”. 17. Sri Lanka expressed its interest in the experience of the United Kingdom in countering terrorism while protecting human rights. Sri Lanka asked about progress in the inquiry instituted in 1998 of the “Bloody Sunday” of 1972; whether prosecutions have been effected, and the reasons for delays. It also asked whether international assistance would be useful in this regard. With reference to a report by the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka asked about incidents of complicity between elements of security forces in the killings of civilians, and if progress had been made in bringing prosecutions of those responsible. Sri Lanka recommended that the United Kingdom consider holding a referendum on the desirability or otherwise of a written Constitution, preferably republican, which includes a bill of rights.