A/HRC/30/3 17. A unified judicial system had been created and the military courts had been abolished. In January 2014, the executive had relinquished all its authority in relation to judicial administration. Work continued on the creation of a professional corps of judges; 40 per cent were currently under the age of 40 and more than half were currently women. The practices in the appointment of judges were consistent with those throughout the world. More than half of the judges were now on lifetime appointments. Belarus was moving towards an appellate system for appeals in both criminal and civil law. Other developments included the use of modern technology and the introduction of mediation to settle civil disputes. 18. As for progress in the development of civil society, as of January 2015, more than 2,500 civil society organizations were registered and the trend in increasing registrations was being sustained. The process of registration of organizations was carried out strictly in accordance with the law and everything possible had been done to ensure that the process was not burdensome. Some individuals had knowingly submitted false information which had prevented the registration of their organizations and there had been cases in which groups had used their unregistered status for political ends. In February 2014, new legislation had simplified the process for registration, regulation of statutes and liquidation of political parties and civil society organizations. 19. The delegation outlined the principles applied in the regulation of the legal profession and mentioned the new law on the legal profession, which had entered into force in 2013. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 20. During the interactive dialogue, 95 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue can be found in section II of the present report. 21. Sweden was deeply concerned about the continued use of the death penalty and noted new legislation which increased State control over the Internet. 22. Switzerland deplored the intimidation of civil society and expressed concern at impunity for perpetrators of torture. 23. Syria commended Belarus for the steps it had taken to improve national legislation and ensure its compatibility with its human rights commitments, as well as efforts to guarantee the right to education. 24. Tajikistan noted that the practical steps taken by Belarus bore witness to the country’s willingness to fulfil its international obligations. 25. Thailand encouraged Belarus to establish a national human rights institution and adopt measures on persons with disabilities. 26. Turkmenistan welcomed the amendments that had been made to national legislation aimed, inter alia, at strengthening democratic reforms and the formation of civil society. 27. The United Arab Emirates noted the efforts of Belarus to combat human trafficking, adopt national legislation, train law enforcement officials and accede to treaties. 28. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland urged Belarus to improve democratic standards for the forthcoming elections. 29. Noting the release of Ales Bialiatski, the United States of America asked Belarus to release all political prisoners, and highlighted restrictions on free expression, civil society and the media. 5