A/HRC/43/2 recognize them as integral parts of the Iraqi nation’s culture. It urged Iraq to acknowledge its responsibility toward forgotten refugees. It stated that Iraq has an obligation to ensure the protection and fundamental rights of all its minorities and that none of its citizens would be subjected to transgressions and injustices. 777. The British Humanist Association called upon Iraq to implement the recommendation made by a number of Member States to guarantee freedom of religion or belief for all religious and non-religious groups, enact legislation to outlaw religious discrimination, and ensure instances are fully investigated. It stated that, in Iraq, blasphemy was a criminal offence prohibited by the Penal Code which is used to discriminate against religious dissenters. It called on Iraq to fulfil its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to protect the right of religious and non-religious minorities to freedom of religion or belief, including by repealing its blasphemy law. 778. The World Evangelical Alliance was concerned by the fact that, since 2003, Iraq had failed to grant legal recognition to the Evangelical churches as well as affiliation with the Endowment of the Christians, Yezidi, and Sabaean-Mandaean Religions. It recommended that Iraq officially recognize the Evangelical Churches in Iraq and grant them affiliation with the said endowment. It also recommend that current and future legal frameworks in Iraq fully promote and protect the equal rights of all their citizens, irrespective of race, religion or other status. It urged Iraq to implement recommendations relating to the human rights of displaced persons. 779. Human Rights Watch took note of the commitment of Iraq to implement recommendations by developing a national human rights plan in consultation with national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. It remained concerned by the situation on the ground, including numerous incidents of security forces using excessive force against protesters since October 2019, leading to hundreds dead and thousands wounded, due process violations in the courts, and minimal accountability for victims of the abuse by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. It stated that, despite the support of Iraq to recommendations during the last two universal periodic review cycles to combat impunity for acts of torture and extrajudicial killings and exclude as evidence at trial confessions obtained through torture, it continued to receive reports that security forces are routinely using torture to extract confessions. 780. Christian Solidarity Worldwide welcomed the numerous calls made to Iraq to respect the right to peaceful protest and cease the use of violence against protesters. It was concerned by reports of paramilitary groups attacking civilians in Iraq. It urged Iraq to crackdown on such groups swiftly, prioritising the protection of vulnerable communities. It welcomed recommendations urging Iraq to combat corruption. It urged Iraq to increase efforts to combat terrorism. It remained concerned by reports of child marriage in Iraq. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform, 24 per cent of girls in Iraq are married before the age of 18, and 5 per cent are married before the age of 15. 781. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation stated that Iraq had accepted a number of recommendations relating to civic space, including to protect the action of journalists, media professionals and human rights defenders from all use of violence and threats by security forces and to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly in law and practice. It stated that reports indicate that almost 700 people had been killed during the protests since October 2019 and over 2800 arrested. It urged Iraq to amend the legal framework currently restricting civic space, immediately and unconditionally release all protestors and bring to justice those responsible for the extra judicial killing of protesters and journalists in Iraq. 122