A/HRC/11/37 677. The United States of America commended Jordan for the steps taken to promote human rights and human welfare. It noted the concern regarding honour crimes and supported the recommendations aimed at strengthening legislation to protect women from violence and ensuring that perpetrators of honour crimes were prosecuted and received sentences commensurate to the gravity of their crimes. The United States shared the concerns regarding the law on associations and supported the recommendations that Jordan enact amendments or revisions that would provide civil society groups with the broadest possible freedom of assembly. It welcomed the formation of a committee to work with civil society on promoting modifications to this law. 3. General comments made by other relevant stakeholders 678. The National Centre for Human Rights indicated that steps should be taken to reform the legislation to reduce the application of the death penalty; fill gaps in the legislation to combat impunity of the perpetrators of torture, through the recognition of the competence of the Committee against Torture, as contained in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention, and accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture; amend the legislation that violates the rights of individuals to security and personal freedoms; enhance the independence of the judiciary and limit referrals to special courts; amend legislation that restricts political freedoms; include the principles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into the domestic legal system, and lift the reservations to articles 9 (2) of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and 20 and 21 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 679. Human Rights Watch was disappointed at Jordan’s rejection of important recommendations to eradicate torture, and requested that it implement recommendations to set up an independent complaints mechanism on torture, allow unannounced prison visits by non-governmental organizations and abolish exceptional courts, such as the police court. It noted that Jordan had curtailed its practice of administratively detaining women threatened with violence by family members, and tribal members threatened with violence by members of other tribes. However, the Government had made no concerted effort to apprehend or prosecute those who make such violent threats. Human Rights Watch was heartened by Jordan’s readiness to uphold freedom of assembly and requested that Jordan abolish prior approval for public meetings, lift provisions governing executive approval to register a society, and remove excessive powers of Government interference. 680. The Arab Commission for Human Rights commended Jordan for accepting a number of review recommendations and regretted the fact that the replies had not been submitted in writing before the plenary session of the Council. It welcomed the acceptance of the recommendation to support more effective implementation of the provisions of the Committee against Torture. It called on Jordan to reconsider its position on the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and to recognize the competence of the Committee against Torture, as contained in article 22 of the Convention. 681. The International Commission of Jurists stated that Jordan should investigate in a prompt, effective and independent manner all alleged acts of torture and other ill-treatment that had been systematically used in Jordan’s prisons and centres of detention, as suggested in recommendations 18, 19 and 20. It urged Jordan to accept recommendation 9 of paragraph 93, break the cycle of impunity and bring the definition of torture in the penal code into line with article 1 of the Committee against Torture. It requested that Jordan accept and expeditiously implement recommendation 15 of paragraph 93. It called on Jordan to abolish the State security courts and other special courts and make sure that human rights violations were tried by ordinary civilian courts. GE.09-16766 161