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that Saudi Arabia strengthen these instruments to ensure that they are in line with international
standards. It asked whether foreign citizens have access to Saudi Arabia’s commendable health
system.
44. Canada welcomed efforts undertaken by the Human Rights Commission to develop a
“cultural awareness of human rights” campaign for classrooms, mosques and the legal
profession. Canada recommended Saudi Arabia: (a) cease application of torture, other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and corporal punishment of prisoners, in
accordance with article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international
human rights treaties to which it is a party, including CAT and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC); (b) sign and ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); (c)
end the practice of incarcerating, mistreating, and applying travel bans against individuals on the
basis of their political or religious beliefs; (d) abolish all legislation, measures and practices that
discriminate against women, further to the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against
women, and in particular to abolish legislation and practices which prevent women from
participating fully in society on an equal basis with men, including strict gender segregation
practices, limitations on freedom of movement, the prohibition on women driving and restricted
access by women to work, public places and commercial facilities, and (e) withdraw its two
reservations to CEDAW.
45. Austria encouraged Saudi Arabia to continue its close cooperation with various
stakeholders in the follow-up of the review. It asked if Saudi Arabia was committed to raising
the minimum age of criminal responsibility as noted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child
in 2006. It recommended that the Government take measures to make the juvenile justice system
more effective, in particular by ensuring the separate detention of juveniles as well as
expeditious access of juveniles to legal counsels. It recommended that Saudi Arabia consider
ending the use of corporal punishment for persons under 18 and establishing a moratorium on
executions of persons having committed crimes before the age of 18. Austria noted the concern
expressed by CEDAW in 2008 that neither the Constitution nor other legislation embodies the
principle of equality between women and men or contains a definition of discrimination against
women. It recommended increasing efforts to bring legislation into line with the principle of
equality between women and men and to develop human rights education programmes so as to
increase citizens’ awareness of their rights under international human rights instruments.
46. Italy noted the broad scope of crimes punishable by the death penalty, the increased
number of executions, and that important restrictions still exist for religious minorities. It
recommended that Saudi Arabia: (a) consider, as a first step, amending domestic legislation on
the death penalty in order to restrict its scope and adjust it to the international minimum
standards on the death penalty and consider establishing a moratorium on the use of the death
penalty with a view to its abolition; (b) consider the withdrawal of the general reservation made
upon ratification of CEDAW, whereby, in the event of a conflict between the provisions of
Islamic law and those of the Convention, the former shall prevail; (c) reform its legislation on
religious freedom in order to ensure adequate protection for all religious minorities, with a view
to gradually allowing public practice of other faiths and beliefs.
47. Chile recommended that Saudi Arabia (a) modify its domestic legislation to bring it into
line with the standards and requirements contained in the international human rights instruments.
Chile also recommended that Saudi Arabia amend legal provisions so as to (b) guarantee
equality between men and women; (c) prevent violence against women; (d) prevent threats to the
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