A/HRC/30/3 9. Belarus had acceded to six international instruments in the past five years and was preparing to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Numerous legislative changes had been adopted as part of the accessions. In 2013, a judicial reform programme had commenced with the aim of strengthening judicial independence and making other improvements to the system. Numerous laws were under preparation in other fields and in 2015, a National Strategy on Sustainable Socioeconomic Growth to 2030 had been prepared. There were institutions for the protection and promotion of various human rights and, although not perfect, they were generally effective. 10. Discrimination was forbidden under the Constitution and criminally punishable, as was hate speech. The 2013 concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination referred to the country’s protection of freedom of religion and belief. Belarus had taken measures in the field of gender equality; 30 per cent of the parliamentarians in Belarus were women. 11. The death penalty had been retained in Belarus as a temporary measure and was applicable only to the most serious crimes. The delegation noted the specific restrictions on its use, the country’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the continuous public focus on the issue. The parliamentary group established to study the issue had resumed its work in 2012. While public opinion in favour of a moratorium and gradual abolition was important, current opinion polls indicated that 70 per cent of respondents favoured its retention. In 2015, the possibility of substituting a death sentence with life imprisonment by agreement with the prosecution had been introduced. 12. Regarding the situation of detainees, the increasing numbers of appeals to the courts indicated confidence in the system. There was public oversight of prisons and civil society organizations had access to them. In 2015, a definition of torture that was in compliance with the definition contained in the Convention against Torture had been introduced into the Criminal Code. Six prisons were being reconstructed, subject to the country’s financial constraints. 13. The current National Action Plan for the improvement of the situation of children and the protection of their rights had been under implementation since 2012. It included many measures that had been recommended by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. There had been developments in juvenile justice and measures to improve child protection, including increased rates of adoption. 14. Belarus had made significant progress in addressing domestic violence, including the introduction of the concept into legislation. A draft law on domestic violence was under preparation and a series of relevant measures were in place. 15. The law on combating trafficking in human beings had been adopted in 2012. The delegation described the relevant measures that had been taken, including in the field of victim support. 16. Belarus had accepted the competence of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to receive individual complaints. Only 20 countries worldwide had accepted the competence of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to receive individual complaints. Belarus had repeatedly stated that it did not recognize the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and had explained its concerns about how the mandate had been created. Presidential elections would be held in 2015. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) principles would be respected and the elections would be transparent with national, regional and international oversight secured. There were no reports to the treaty bodies overdue. 4