A/HRC/15/13 criminal prosecution, despite amendments to article 301 of the Penal Code with respect to the “denigration of Turkishness”. It sought information about Turkey’s response and related efforts. Germany made recommendations. 88. Iraq welcomed Turkey’s progress in the implementation of the national strategy to abolish the death penalty, the establishment of an ombudsman’s office in 2006 and the decision to allow citizens to use minority languages, including Kurdish and Arabic. Iraq made a recommendation. 89. Ireland commended the National Action Plans on Combating Domestic Violence against Women and Gender Equality, welcomed reforms concerning the situation of the Kurdish minority and encouraged further steps to fully recognize minority rights. Ireland made recommendations. 90. Ukraine commended Turkey for its efforts in combating and preventing the trafficking in human beings, sought information about cooperation with civil society and welcomed related awareness-raising campaigns. Discrimination against women and the pervasiveness of domestic violence, as well as the abuse and ill treatment of women and children, remained of concern. Ukraine made recommendations. 91. The delegation of Turkey stated that those asylum-seekers without refugee status whose lives were under threat in their own countries were allowed to temporarily stay in Turkey and that their educational, social and medical needs were covered. Since March 2010, refugees had been exempted from paying residence fees and granted the right to asylum until the date of their deportation. 92. Relevant legislation was being aligned with international standards, and Turkey was working on a new asylum law. Turkey was also trying to improve the accommodation conditions of irregular migrants, who, according to a new Ministry of Interior circular issued in March 2010, were kept in removal centres and not placed in detention centres. 93. Equal rights were provided for refugees and asylum-seekers from the east of Turkey. They benefited from health services and eight years of primary education, and could reside in Turkey until resettled in a third country by UNHCR. Removal centres had been established in 33 provinces, and 6 more were planned. 94. Turkey was determined to combat human trafficking. In March 2009, it had signed the European Convention against Human Trafficking and established a taskforce to review its legislation. Trafficking had been recognized as a crime in 2002, and the definition in the new Turkish Penal Code was in line with the Palermo Protocol. The concept of forced prostitution had been added to the definition in 2006. Redrafting was under way in order to overcome the implementation problems experienced with article 79 of TPC, so that an attempt to traffic would be sufficient for penalizing such acts. 95. The National Action Plan to combat human trafficking envisaged extensive measures for the rehabilitation of victims, such as providing shelters for their treatment and care, ensuring their safe and voluntary return to their countries, training law enforcement officers and protecting witnesses. The second national action plan to combat trafficking had been approved in 2009. 96. Turkey had issued a standing invitation to special procedures in 2001 and closely cooperated with international and regional human rights mechanisms. 97. The delegation noted that legislative work aimed at the harmonization of trade union legislation with ILO and European Union standards was continuing with the cooperation of the social partners. Restrictions on the right to freedom of assembly and to strike had been removed, and Turkey had signed the Decent Work Country Programme with ILO in 2009. Labour law provided for the prohibition of all forms of discrimination in employer- 12