B. Positive aspects 143. The Committee welcomes the ongoing efforts of the State party to reform its legal system, revise its legislation and uphold democratic values, in particular: (a) The establishment of the Human Rights Ministry in 2003 aimed at promoting and ensuring respect for human rights, including consideration of individual complaints; (b) The permission granted to many non-governmental organizations to operate freely in the country; (c) The provisions of enacted laws protecting human rights, for example, article 149 of the Constitution; article 6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure No. 3 of 1994; article 21 of the Code of Military Crimes and Penalties, 1998; article 9 of the Police Corps Act No. 15/2000; article 35 of the Penal Code; and the ratification by Act No. 36 of 1983 of the Arab Convention on Judicial Cooperation; (d) The stated intention of the State party to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and steps taken at the national level in this respect; (e) The ratification of the major human rights instruments and the incorporation of the provisions of these international treaties into the domestic legal order; (f) The human rights education and training activities and the State party’s openness to international cooperation, as reflected in the agreement concluded with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; (g) The assurances received from the delegation that it intends to establish special institutions (“halfway houses”) to receive vulnerable women leaving prison; (h) The access accorded to the International Committee of the Red Cross to persons held by the Political Security Department. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Convention 144. The Committee, while aware of the difficulties that the State party faces in its prolonged fight against terrorism, recalls that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever can be invoked as a justification for torture. It stresses in particular that the reactions of the State party to such threats must be compatible with article 2, paragraph 2, of the Convention and within the limits of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). D. Subjects of concern 145. The Committee expresses concern about the following: (a) The lack of a comprehensive definition of torture in the domestic law as set out in article 1 of the Convention; 65