A/HRC/11/37 custody. Improvements were even more acutely needed in the field of media freedom, which have steadily deteriorated over the past few years because of, inter alia, the use of criminal libel and other criminal charges to stifle critical reporting and imprison journalists. It urged the Government to accept and implement all recommendations from the review process, particularly in the area of media freedom. Specifically, it should release journalists imprisoned on politically motivated charges immediately and decriminalize libel. 588. Cercle de recherche sur les droits et les devoirs de la personne humaine expressed its appreciation for the ongoing reform process in the field of human rights and encouraged Azerbaijan to continue in that direction, in spite of the ongoing conflict in NagornoKarabakh, which it condemned, as well as the Armenian occupying forces. Through its plans to establish an office in the country in the future, it would continue to support Azerbaijan in the implementation of its international commitments and obligations. 589. The Federation for Women and Family Planning commended Azerbaijan for its commitment to gender equality. With regard to recommendations in paragraphs 69 and 90 of the Working Group report, it stressed the importance of addressing sexual harassment. In this regard, it called on Azerbaijan to conduct research and public awareness campaigns, put in place structures for reporting rape, train law-enforcement personnel and implement strong measures against corruption. It also called for education campaigns about gender roles and the value of women and girls, to reduce sex-selective abortions and protect women’s rights. It called on Azerbaijan to consider recommendations 26 and 48, to train law enforcement and judicial officials on the protection of children, women and persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity. It called for proper investigations into claims of police blackmailing, harassment and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and for the punishment of those responsible, as well as administrative and legal frameworks to eradicate such practices. It requested that Azerbaijan ensure that non-governmental organizations, including those supporting vulnerable groups, were free to register and operate without State interference or fear of reprisals. 590. The Al-Hakim Foundation thanked Azerbaijan for its cooperation with human rights mechanisms and its commitment to respecting universal periodic review recommendations. It urged Azerbaijan to continue efforts to strengthen its institutional framework and to spread a culture of human rights. It indicated that Azerbaijan should establish a mechanism involving Government and civil society representatives to implement the recommendations. It stressed the importance of establishing programmes to combat violence against women and children, facilitate access to justice and equity for all victims of domestic violence, and reparation for victims. It also stressed the importance of implementing a national plan to combat trafficking in persons and the need to provide necessary assistance to victims. It commended the fact that, since 2006, there had been a forum for dialogue among civilizations and religions. 4. Concluding remarks of the State under review 591. Azerbaijan thanked all speakers, in particular non-governmental organizations, and reiterated its support for the universal periodic review and cooperation with Governments and non-governmental organizations. The recommendations mentioned in the statements by non-governmental organizations would also be taken into account to further improve human rights protection. 592. Azerbaijan pledged to pay even greater attention to improving gender equality and the protection of the rights of children, and to improving the social situation of refugees and internally displaced persons. GE.09-16766 147