A/HRC/40/9 cancer hospital and a new national health laboratory service would begin the following year. The construction of a new ear, nose and throat hospital was already well under way. 26. Language was not currently included in the Equal Opportunities Act as a ground of discrimination. Although the Creole language was not yet used as an official language in the National Assembly, it was widely used in other institutions such as courts of law and for teaching in schools. 27. Consultations on the first working draft of the freedom of information bill were ongoing. Numerous administrative, financial, legal, and institutional implications of the draft legislation were being examined and scrutinized in depth, as there was a need to strike the right balance between ensuring delivery of effective and efficient governance and enjoyment of the right to know. 28. All death sentences imposed prior to the adoption of the Abolition of Death Penalty Act of 1995 had been commuted to sentences of penal servitude for life. However, Mauritius was concerned about an upsurge of opinion publicly expressed in favour of the death penalty. 29. Mauritius would continue to work towards upholding the human rights of its citizens and meeting its obligations under the different human rights instruments to which it was a party. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 30. During the interactive dialogue, 77 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 31. The United States of America was encouraged by the progress made by Mauritius in addressing abuses committed by security forces and in implementing recommendations from the second review cycle. It remained concerned about corruption, continued abuses committed by security forces and impunity for those abuses. 32. Uruguay welcomed the measures taken to combat gender violence and promote women’s rights, and encouraged Mauritius to continue working to incorporate a gender perspective into its legislation and public policies. 33. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela welcomed the creation of a national mechanism for submitting and following up on human rights reports. It also welcomed a number of policy initiatives in the fields of health and education. 34. Zimbabwe noted the creation of a ministry dedicated to human rights issues and of the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up. It also noted that new pieces of legislation had been enacted to better guarantee the protection of human rights. 35. Afghanistan commended the progress made in the field of human rights since the previous review, including the establishment of specific institutions for human rights affairs and the ratification of certain international human rights instruments. 36. Algeria welcomed the institutional and legislative reforms leading to the creation of a ministry with a human rights portfolio, and the launch of the National Child Protection Strategy and the National Human Rights Action Plan. 37. Angola noted with satisfaction the commitment made by Mauritius to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the progress it had made in the administration of justice, and the attention given to improving the living conditions of detainees in fields such as health care and social reintegration. 38. Argentina congratulated Mauritius for the creation of the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, the Human Rights Secretariat and the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up. 39. Armenia welcomed the commitment made by the Government to strengthen the existing democratic and human rights architecture through, inter alia, the establishment of 5