A/HRC/19/2 612. To accelerate reform, article 13 of the new Constitution aimed at increasing the national income and development of production, raising living standards and creating employment. Economic sanctions imposed outside the scope of international law had, however, violated the economic and social rights of the people, and their impact made more severe by the destruction of infrastructure through terrorist acts. 613. The delegation made comments with regard to the recommendations accepted by the Syrian Arab Republic and considered to be in the process of implementation: (a) With regard to recommendations 1 to 3, on the harmonization of national legislation with the provisions of international instruments, particularly the Convention against Torture, the Ministry of the Interior had issued circulars prohibiting all forms of torture and arrests without evidence, requiring families to be informed on the whereabouts of detained family members and providing for the accountability of those responsible for concealing information; (b) With regard to recommendation 11 on the rules of engagement for the security services and human rights training for the police, the Ministry of the Interior had put in place a training plan on crowd control for riot police in line with the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the Basic Principles for the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. The Syrian Arab Republic had established a national commission of inquiry that was now considering nearly 5,000 cases, and it had provided detailed information to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on cases in which penalties had been imposed on members of the security forces for violations of human rights or that had been referred to justice; (c) With regard to recommendation 12, on the reform of the judicial system, article 154 of the new Constitution provided for legislative reform to be implemented within a period of three years; (d) With regard to recommendation 13, on respect for freedom of expression, the Syrian Arab Republic had enshrined this right in the new Constitution, and a new media law had been adopted two months earlier; (e) With regard to recommendation 14, on the review of the Personal Status Law, to ensure that women and men enjoy equal rights, the Syrian Arab Republic was working with national non-governmental organizations to resolve gaps in the existing law. 614. With regard to pending recommendations, the Syrian Arab Republic had accepted recommendation 2, on acceding to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees; recommendations 4 to 6, on the incorporation into national law of provisions contained in human rights treaties, including the definition of torture as contained in the Convention against Torture; recommendation 7, on the withdrawal of reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; recommendation 10, on compliance with the Convention against Torture; recommendations 11 to 23, on cooperation with the international commission of inquiry and OHCHR, allowing them entry to the country; and recommendations 24 and 25, on cooperation with special procedures mandate holders. 615. With regard to the recommendations that the Syrian Arab Republic regarded as already implemented, the delegation pointed out that, in the case of recommendations 22 and 23, on freedom of expression and association, in addition to measures already taken, the Syrian Arab Republic was already elaborating a law on the work of non-governmental organizations, which would permit the establishment of different types of organizations. 616. The delegation also presented additional information on a number of rejected recommendations, particularly those that it considered not to be compatible with the spirit of the universal periodic review mechanism. At the same time, in an effort to further promote and protect human rights, the delegation announced that the Syrian Arab Republic GE.13-14768 225