35. The Law “On guaranteeing citizens’ rights and freedoms and legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” was adopted on 15 April. Its provisions and implications are analysed in section VI on “Particular Human Rights Challenges in Crimea”. B. Law enforcement sector reform 36. The ongoing events and violence in various parts of the country have resulted in an increasing erosion of law and order. The most recent example is the tragic events that took place in Odesa during the afternoon and evening of 2 May, where 46 people were killed in violent clashes, and a fire in the Trade Union building where many people had taken refuge.24 37. In order to develop a concept for the reform of the law enforcement bodies, an Expert Council “on the issues of human rights and reformation” was established in the Ministry of Interior on 4 April. It has a membership of 14 people, of which four are women, and includes human rights defenders. It will submit to the Government a concept of the reform of law enforcement bodies by November 2014. The reform package should reinforce the rule of law; de-politicise, de-militarise, de-centralise and strengthen the structure of the law enforcement bodies through accountability, transparency, and closer cooperation with the public and local communities; and professionalise the staff. The HRMMU has been included into the Council with an observer status. 38. On 23 April, the Ministry of Justice suspended, pending the investigation of allegations of torture that occurred in 2013, the heads of a number of penitentiary facilities, including those of the Dnipropetrovsk pre-trial detention facility and Penitentiary Colony No. 3 in Krivii Rig, Dnipropetrovsk region. On 24 April, the head of the pre-trial detention facility in Odesa was dismissed. The Government ordered the establishment of a special commission under the Ministry of Justice, which should focus on improving the legislative framework for torture prevention. This will support the work of the National Preventive Mechanism, established under the Ombudsman Institution. 39. Experts and human rights defenders continue to stress that conditions in places of the deprivation of liberty do not meet international norms and standards. The use of torture and illtreatment in pre-trial detention facilities is often attributed to the fact that police officers are still evaluated on quantitative indicators. C. Freedom of peaceful assembly 40. In April and early May, rallies and peaceful demonstrations have continued to take place. While many are peaceful – some gathering in large numbers, some consisting of a few picketers – a tendency can be observed in some urban areas of simultaneous rallies of opposing groups ending in violent confrontations. 24 Official death toll as of 4 May 2014. 39 | P a g e