A/HRC/31/15 occupied territories in view of the deteriorating human rights situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 48. Lithuania welcomed progress made in the reform of the judiciary, the strengthening of the independence of the High Council of Justice and the strengthening of the Legal Aid Service. It commended efforts to ensure decent conditions for all internally displaced persons and refugees. 49. Mexico welcomed the decision to allocate resources for the Public Defender and acknowledged the efforts made to strengthen the normative human rights framework, through the adoption of the human rights strategy and other measures. 50. Montenegro welcomed progress made between the two review cycles and expressed appreciation for the amendments made in 2014 to the Prison Code. It asked for more information on measures taken to ensure the independence and accountability of the Prosecutor’s Office. 51. Morocco said it was encouraged by the adoption of the action plan against torture, the reform of the judiciary and the lifting of restrictions on freedom of expression. It welcomed the adoption of the action plan against domestic violence. 52. Myanmar commended Georgia for ensuring equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and for having ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 53. Namibia took note of the significant steps undertaken in the field of judicial reform and encouraged Georgia to take further action improve the independence and depoliticization of the judiciary. 54. The Netherlands noted challenges in the fields of women’s rights, rule of law and the conduct of law enforcement, and expressed its appreciation for the process of domestic reform. 55. Nigeria expressed concern about alleged arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of members of minority groups and foreigners by law enforcement officials, and called on Georgia to comply with its human rights obligations to all persons in accordance with international law. 56. Norway urged Georgia to ensure that ongoing reforms led to institutional guarantees of the independence of the judiciary. It was concerned that Georgia was still plagued by poor prison conditions and about attitudes in society towards minorities. 57. Oman highly appreciated efforts undertaken by Georgia to introduce a national action plan for the 2014-2016 period to promote equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and the guarantee in law of free public education for all. 58. Panama drew attention to progress achieved in the area of children and welcomed the fact that Georgia had ratified numerous human rights instruments. 59. In responding to the issues raised, Georgia put special emphasis on the building of institutional democracy and the system of functional institutions through changing both institutions and institutional culture. The latest judicial reforms were aimed at depoliticizing the High Council of Justice and ensuring the transparency of the judiciary, as well as providing for greater transparency of judicial proceedings, the independence of judges and their involvement in the management of the courts. Judges were now elected based on two criteria: integrity and competence. All judges would be selected through open competition, and additional guarantees of non-interference with judiciary would be put in place. 60. Georgia stated that, following the reforms, administrative functions in the judiciary would be implemented by court managers; chairs of the courts would no longer possess that 8