A/66/44 humane treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, and bars the application of the statute of limitation to crimes such as torture; and (b) The adoption in 2004 of the revised Criminal Code which criminalizes all acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, sexual violence and harmful traditional practices. (7) The Committee notes the adoption by the State party of specific directives and regulations guiding the conduct of law enforcement officers, the breach of which entails disciplinary sanctions, dismissal or criminal prosecution: (a) 44/1998; (b) (c) 137/2007; The Federal Prosecutor Administration Council of Ministers Regulations No. The Federal Police Commission Administration Regulations No. 86/2003; The Federal Wardens Administration Council of Ministers Regulations No. (d) The Treatment of Federal Prisoners Council of Ministers Regulations No. 138/2007; and (e) The Defence Forces Administration Directive/Regulation. (8) The Committee notes with appreciation that the State party was able to submit its overdue reports to United Nations human rights treaty bodies under a joint treaty reporting project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations Definition of torture (9) The Committee notes that the Federal Constitution of Ethiopia prohibits torture and that article 424 of the revised Criminal Code contains a definition of the “use of improper methods”. However, the Committee is concerned that this definition is more limited in scope than the definition of torture in article 1 of the Convention, as it covers only some of the purposes envisaged in article 1 and applies only to acts committed in the performance of duties by public servants charged with the arrest, custody, supervision, escort or interrogation of a person under suspicion, arrest, detention or summoned to appear before a court or serving a sentence. The Committee notes that acts of torture falling outside the definition in article 424 of the revised Criminal Code are punishable only under the offence of “abuse of power”, although the Convention forms part of the domestic law in Ethiopia (arts. 1 and 4). The State party should include torture as an offence in its Criminal Code, which must be punishable by appropriate penalties taking into account its grave nature, and incorporate a definition of torture that covers all of the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention. By naming and defining the crime of torture in accordance with the Convention and distinct from other crimes, the Committee considers that States parties will directly advance the Convention’s overarching aim of preventing torture by, inter alia, alerting everyone, including perpetrators, victims and the public to the special gravity of the crime of torture, and by improving the deterrent effect of the prohibition itself. Widespread use of torture (10) The Committee is deeply concerned about numerous, ongoing and consistent allegations concerning the routine use of torture by the police, prison officers and other members of the security forces, as well as the military, in particular against political 42 GE.11-45568