CAT/C/POL/CO/7 (b) The amendment, in 2014, of criminal law provisions to introduce ex officio prosecution of the sexual crimes specified in articles 197–199 of the Penal Code, and to repeal article 205, thereby abolishing the mode of prosecution applied in cases of rape committed prior to 27 January 2014. 5. The Committee further welcomes the initiatives of the State party to amend its policies, programmes and administrative measures to give effect to the Convention, including: (a) The adoption by the Council of Ministers of the National Programme for Counteracting Domestic Violence for 2014–2020, in 2014, and its adoption of the National Action Plan for Equal Treatment; (b) The issuance by the Prosecutor General of guidelines on the conduct by prosecutors of criminal proceedings related to deprivation of life and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment perpetrated by police officers or other public officials, in 2014; (c) The adoption by Parliament of the programme for the modernization of the Prison Service from 2017 to 2020, in 2016; (d) The issuance by the Chief of Police of regulation No. 14 on activities to counter trafficking in persons, in 2016; (e) The introduction of an electronic surveillance system as a form of custodial sentence for people sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, and the release of 2,735 such persons, in 2016; (f) The entry into force of a document regulating the use of electroshock weapons by the police, in August 2018. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations Pending follow-up issues from the previous reporting cycle 6. In its previous concluding observations (CAT/C/POL/CO/5-6, para. 29), the Committee requested the State party to provide further information regarding areas of particular concern, including on the strengthening of legal safeguards for persons deprived of their liberty (para. 8), on protection for asylum seekers (para. 13) and on the conduct of prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all reports of torture or ill-treatment (para. 18); and follow-up information on remedies and redress provided to victims of torture and ill-treatment (para. 21). The Committee expresses its appreciation for the State party’s follow-up response provided on 19 November 2014 (CAT/C/POL/CO/5-6/Add.1). It notes with regret, however, the absence of a reply to its request for additional information contained in the letter sent by the Rapporteur for follow-up to concluding observations on 29 August 2016. In view of the information provided and the concerns described below (paras. 12, 15, 16, 18, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 36 and 38), the Committee considers that the recommendations in paragraphs 8, 13, 18 and 21 of its previous concluding observations have been partly implemented. Definition of torture as a separate crime in the Penal Code 7. The Committee is concerned: (a) That its previous recommendations regarding the absence in the State party’s Penal Code of a specific offence of torture, in accordance with article 4 (2) of the Convention (A/55/44, paras. 92–95, CAT/C/POL/CO/4, para. 6, and CAT/C/POL/CO/5-6, para. 7), have not been implemented to date; (b) At the continued absence of a definition of torture that includes all the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention and provides for punishment commensurate to the gravity of this crime; (c) That various provisions of the Penal Code that continue to be “applied in cases of torture” and that cover a broader range of offences such as violation of bodily 2

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