A/HRC/39/15 109. Morocco welcomed the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and commended Cameroon on its efforts to provide human rights training and education, to fight impunity and to promote economic, social and cultural rights. 110. Libya praised Cameroon for having adopted and implemented the National Action Plan for 2015–2019, and also for having ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. 111. Lesotho praised Cameroon for the legislative measures it had taken, and its initiatives to cooperate with international and regional mechanisms for the promotion of human rights. 112. The head of the delegation thanked the delegations for their questions and recommendations and provided the following answers to some of the questions asked. 113. Cameroon had signed the Rome Statute, and internal procedures were under way in preparation for ratification. Cameroon maintained a fruitful relationship with the International Criminal Court, in particular in terms of judicial cooperation. It had hosted Court officials during their investigation missions in connection with human rights cases. Mutual assistance requests from the Office of the Prosecutor or the defence were executed by the Cameroon judicial authorities in cases in which the Cameroonian authorities had agreed to cooperate with the Court. 114. Furthermore, pursuant to significant legal reforms, serious crimes falling under the remit of the Court, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, could now be prosecuted before the military courts following the adoption of Law No. 2017/012 of 12 July 2017 to lay down the Code of Military Justice. 115. Regarding impunity, violations of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment had been reported and had been investigated, leading to disciplinary and judicial sanctions. Between 2013 and 2017, 100 police officers had been found guilty, following investigations, of acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and had received heavy disciplinary sanctions, including reprimands, dismissal, delayed promotion, suspension and demotion. To supplement these measures, the national mechanism for the prevention of torture in places of deprivation of liberty was being established after the mandate had been assigned to the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms. 116. Concerning the death penalty, including in cases under counter-terrorism legislation, Cameroon had, in recent years, been the victim of attacks by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram. In response, it had authorized the death penalty for the most serious offences, in particular endangering innocent lives and jeopardizing the State and its institutions, on the basis of article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, whereby the death penalty could be imposed for the most serious crimes. Notwithstanding the above, Cameroon had not carried out any executions since the 1990s. 117. As for the elimination of violence against women, including female genital mutilation and forced or early marriage, Cameroon had adopted a national gender policy paper in 2014 to promote gender equality, followed by a multisectoral action plan in 2016. The legal framework had been further strengthened by the adoption of the Law of 12 July 2016. 118. Concerning the fight against violence on children, the government and his partners have been working to protect children against violence by creating institutions, providing services for children victim of violence, carrying out awareness-raising activities, providing support for victims and by prosecuting alleged perpetrators. In 2017, the government adopted the National Child Protection Policy Paper which defines the strategic framework for the protection of children in Cameroon. 119. An interministerial committee on follow-up to recommendations and/or decisions of international and regional human rights mechanisms had been established under the Office of the Prime Minister in 2013. It received the recommendations accepted by Cameroon, which it then conveyed to the various relevant ministries for implementation. Their implementation was assessed at meetings where progress was noted and challenges were discussed with the aim of taking remedial measures. 10 GE.18-11388