A/72/291
monitors criminal offences, such as racial hate or incitement to racist violence. The
National Office against Racial Discrimination records, through its Contact Centre,
instances of discriminatory behaviour, racial stereotypes and bias in the media and
on the Internet. The National Observatory against Discrimination i n the media and
the Internet, created in January 2016, focuses its work on reporting hate speech
posted online and also aims at analysing, learning about and understanding the
issue. Thousands of online posts are analysed on a daily basis, and a substantial
portion of the posts are catalogued and included in thematic reports. A smaller
proportion of other posts, that are not included but still considered to be of a
strongly discriminatory nature, are reported to social networks for removal or to law
enforcement for investigation and prosecution.
E.
Kazakhstan
26. The Government has informed the Special Rapporteur of its policy for
strengthening national unity, which complies with the fundamental principles of
resolution 71/179. Under the Constitution, all citizens of the country are equal and
have the right to participate in State affairs, regardless of their ethnic origin, either
through representative bodies or directly.
27. The Government has indicated that, under article 19 of the Constitution,
citizens have the right to declare their ethnic identity or not, therefore,
representatives of ethnic groups, which all have a high civil and social status, are
considered to possess the full range of rights granted to the united people of
Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Culture and Sports is also improving its activities in
order to better promote national unity, in line with the decree to strengthen Kazakh
identity, of 2015.
28. The Government has referred to the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan,
whose status is set out in the Constitution and whose members are elected according
to the Act on the Assembly of the People and the newly adopted Act of the Republic
of Kazakhstan. There are more than 900 ethnic and cultural associations in the
country, which come together with regional organizations in the provincial
assemblies. Members of the Assembly of the People are nominated in the provincial
assemblies upon the recommendation of those associations. The Assembly selects
nine of its members by rotation, in order to avoid competition among ethnic groups
and sends them to the lower house of parliament. At its annual sessions, the
Assembly considers issues relating to ethnic groups in order to formulate
instructions for the Government.
29. The Government has reported that, in 2016, the President launched an annual
Day of Gratitude, to celebrate the shared history and the unity of the Kazakh people.
F.
Romania
30. The Government has reiterated its commitment to fighting discrimination and
explained that, under the Criminal Code, discrimination constitutes an aggravating
circumstance, notably in instances of torture or limitations of the rights of a person
perpetrated by a public servant when on duty. The Criminal Code also define s
incitement to hatred, genocide and crime against humanity as discriminatory acts, in
articles 369, 438 and 439 thereof.
31. The Government reported that organizations, symbols and deeds with fascist,
racist, legionary and xenophobic character and the glorification of those found
guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are prohibited under
8/21
17-13411