Overview

Former senior officials faced arrest and prosecution on charges related to past abuses of power amid concerns of executive pressure on the judiciary. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) was not ratified, despite growing recognition of the scale of gender-based violence. A draft law on anti-discrimination was discussed in parliament but sexual orientation and gender identity did not appear among the list of protected grounds.  Protests by environmental activists and local residents forced the authorities to suspend construction of a gold mine and commit to a further impact assessment study. 

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