suffered a lack of drinking water and medicines, and some starved to death. Makala Prison in Kinshasa, with a capacity for 1,500 people, held over 12,000 inmates as of October, over 70% of whom were pretrial detainees. Goma Central Prison, with a capacity for 300 people, housed over 7,000 inmates, 80% of whom were in pretrial detention. RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND REPARATION In February, the government adopted a Draft National Transitional Justice Policy, which provides for the establishment of judicial mechanisms to deal with the most serious crimes and human rights violations. No further steps were taken towards ensuring accountability and providing access to justice and effective remedies. In May, the DRC made a second referral to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC (the first referral was made in 2004) requesting that investigations into alleged crimes within the court’s jurisdiction, committed by Rwandan-backed rebels since January 2022 in Nord-Kivu province, be initiated. The Office of the Prosecutor committed to investigate all crimes within its jurisdiction, whoever the suspected perpetrators may be. Later that month, the ICC prosecutor undertook a three-day trip to the country, meeting Congolese and UN officials, members of civil society and victims’ representatives. At the end of his visit, on behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor, he signed a memorandum of understanding with the government, designed to strengthen cooperation and complementarity between the court and the DRC. 1. Powering Change or Business as Usual? Forced Evictions at Industrial Cobalt and Copper Mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 September The State of the World’s Human Rights DENMARK Kingdom of Denmark Afghan women and girls were granted refugee status, and special legislation granting temporary residency for people from Ukraine and Afghanistan was extended. The European Court of Human Rights opened a case against the Ministry of Defence for joint responsibility for the torture of civilians in Iraq in 2004. REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS In January, the Refugee Appeals Board changed their rules to grant protection to all women and girl asylum seekers from Afghanistan. In March, the Refugee Appeals Board expanded the number of Syrian regions considered safe for return to include the province of Latakia, despite warnings that asylum seekers could not be guaranteed safety from persecution by the state due to their original decision to flee the country. The authorities further extended the 2021 special legislation granting residency permits for Afghans until 30 November 2025, continuing the practice of offering only temporary residency. In September, special legislation offering protection to displaced Ukrainians was extended until March 2025. DISCRIMINATION In January, the CERD Committee recommended that the Danish authorities improve systematic data collection about hate crimes and training sessions for police, prosecutors and judges. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION In September, the government responded to a series of Qur’an burnings with a legislative proposal criminalizing “improper treatment of religious scriptures of significant importance to a recognized religious community”. The law was adopted by the parliament in December, although it was criticized for containing vague language which could have negative implications for freedom of 151