8. With regard to advisory opinions submitted by the NIHR to the House of Representatives and
the Shura Council, or those presented as proposals to the Council of Ministers, the amendment of
Decree-Law No. 3 of 2002 on the election of members of municipal councils, which included greater
stringency in dealing with electoral crimes stipulated in Article No. (30) of Legislative Decree No.
(3) for the year 2002 on the election of members of municipal councils. The NIHR opinion concluded
that the proposed amendments do not violate human rights, as included by related international
human rights instruments. This is still pending before the relevant committee of the Shura Council.
9. Concerning the advisory opinion of the NIHR on a draft law amending some provisions of the
Code of Criminal Procedure promulgated by Legislative Decree No. 46 of 2002, prepared in light
of the draft law submitted by the Council of Representatives, the Shura Council resolution came
in line with the decree of the Council of Representatives to reject the draft law in principle, even
though the NIHR, while expressing its views on the draft law, considered that there were aspects
that can be modified in the law to provide legal guarantees that correspond with the provisions of
the Constitution and the relevant international conventions.
10. Regarding the proposal to amend articles (27) and (41) of the provisions of Law No. (18) for the
year 2014 through issuing a Law for the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, and the draft law
amending some provisions of Law No. (37) for the year 2012 by issuing the Children’s Act, and
the proposed law to amend the text of Article (127 repeated) of Legislative Decree No. 46 of 2002
promulgating the Code of Criminal procedure, and the draft law amending some articles of law
No. (23) for the year 2014 for issuing a traffic law, they are issues still pending before the competent
committees of the House of Representatives.
11. A
s for the proposal, which the NIHR submitted to the Cabinet about modifying the text of
paragraph (2) of Article No. (21) of Law No. (74) for the year 2006 on the Care and Rehabilitation
and Employment of the Disabled, and which aims to tighten punishment on the person/s caring
for the disabled in case of gross negligence, which is either a deliberate action or without the
intention to bring about death, but leads to ending the life of a disabled person, or occurs by those
involved in the care of the disabled, it is still under consideration by the concerned authorities, as
such modification was not approved to date.
12. T
he reality of human rights practices, and through the complaints received by the NIHR regarding
various civil and political rights, the statistics indicate receipt of (116) complaints in 2016, compared
with fifty-eight (58) complaints in 2015, while the share of the economic, social and cultural rights
were (21) complaints in 2016, compared with eight (8) complaints in 2015.
13. The increasing number of complaints that the NIHR received during this year compared with last
year, cannot be considered an indication of the decline in the human rights situation in the kingdom,
nor is it an indication of an individual’s enjoyment of the various rights and public freedoms, as it
merely demonstrates the increasing confidence in the institution and the duties entrusted to it, and
its relentless endeavours to provide everything that would promote and protect human rights.
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