A/HRC/14/6 48. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed efforts to combat female genital mutilation and to promote the empowerment of women, as well as the Government’s stated commitment to ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. It expressed concern about the lack of freedom of expression and assembly, given the recent arrest of the opposition leader Femi Peters. It was concerned about reports of Government comments allegedly threatening to kill homosexuals. The United Kingdom made recommendations. 49. Azerbaijan took note of the implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper II and welcomed measures aimed at enhancing women’s rights. Azerbaijan understood the difficulties faced by the Gambia in ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights. Azerbaijan made recommendations. 50. Norway underscored the importance of effective cooperation with the United Nations and highlighted that active participation by civil society was essential in the universal periodic review process, including in the follow-up to recommendations. Norway recalled the concern of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at the persistence of patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes, and the concern of the Human Rights Committee at systemic discrimination against women. Norway was concerned about the situation of human rights defenders, including journalists. Norway made recommendations. 51. Djibouti noted that the Gambia hosted the African Commission, and made a number of recommendations. 52. The United States of America commended Gambia for having increased its law enforcement efforts against the trafficking in persons. It was deeply saddened and disappointed at the arrest and the harsh sentencing in 2009 of seven Gambian journalists, who had been subsequently pardoned, and added that libel laws should never be used to suppress the right of people to criticize Government actions. The United States made recommendations. 53. Replying to a question concerning disability, the head of the delegation said that the Minister for Health and Social Welfare was currently in the process of reviewing the possible ratification of the Convention. 54. With regard to international assistance, Gambia stated that all the areas highlighted in the national report, priority areas in which assistance was needed. 55. The 2005 Children Act had raised the age of criminal responsibility from 7 to 12 years. 56. Regarding the death penalty, the Gambia stated that it was an exceptional measure, applied in cases involving murder and treason, that had been reintroduced in 1995 to combat the spate of criminality and was likely to remain in force for some time. However, the country was exercising a self-moratorium, and no execution had been carried out during the current Administration. 57. With regard to the alleged call by the President for the killing of human rights defenders, the delegation stated that that reported information did not reflect what had actually happened or what had been said at a meeting between the President and religious leaders. The President had never made a statement castigating human rights defenders, who were free to come to Gambia under the protection of the law. The Government was committed to respecting the treaties it had ratified, and the hosting of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights demonstrated the Gambia’s attachment to human rights. 9