   Law No.15/001 of 12 February, 2015 amending and complementing the Law organising presidential, legislative, provincial, urban, municipal and local elections as amended by Law No. 11/003 of 25 June, 2011. Law No.11/013 of 1st August, 2015 on the modalities for the enforcement of women’s rights and parity. Law No. 016/08 of 15 July, 2016 amending and complementing the Family Code of 1987. Article 3: EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW AND EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW 22. Since 2007, the DRC has undertaken reforms in order to strengthen equality of all citizens before the law and equal protection of the law. 23. In addition to the answers provided in the 2010 report, the Congolese Parliament has adopted organic law No. 13/13/011-B of 11 April, 2013 on the organisation, operations and competence of the courts within the judiciary, which devolves on the Appeal Courts the competency to hear first degree criminal offence such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by persons falling within the scope of their jurisdiction and that of the magistrates’ courts, but which were previously tried under only military courts. 24. It must also be underscored that in 2015, a draft bill on the protection of persons with disabilities was presented to Parliament, including a draft bill on the protection of indigenous peoples. These two draft bills are to ensure that vulnerable people, a category which also comprises of people with disabilities and indigenous peoples, in particular pygmies, also receive equal protection under the law. Article 4: THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND PHYSICAL AND MORAL INTEGRITY 25. Beyond the relevant provisions of the Constitution of 18 February, 2006, as amended to date, establishing the inviolability of the human being, the right to life, physical and moral integrity, as guaranteed and protected by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights has undergone a significant development in the DRC. 26. Thus, since 2002, the DRC has ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and in 2015, the Congolese Parliament passed 4 laws on the implementation of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. This includes, among others, Law No. 15/022 of 31 December, 2015 amending and complementing the Decree of 30 January, 1940 on the Criminal Code; Law No. 15/023 of 31 December, 2015 amending Law No. 24/2002 of 18 December 2002 on the military criminal Code; Law No. 15/024 of 31 December, 2015 amending and complementing the Decree of 6/8/1959 on the criminal procedure code , Law No. 15/025 of 31 December, 2015 amending and complementing Law No. 023/2002 of 18 November, 2002 on the military judicial code. 27. Though these initial laws have been promulgated and published in the official gazette, the latter has, to date, not yet been promulgated and disseminated. 28. In any case, in 2015, the Congolese lawmakers wanted to comply with the requirements of the Statute of the International Criminal Court which does not provide for the death penalty as constituting an assault to life as guaranteed and protected by the Charter and other relevant human rights legal instruments. ARTICLE 5: RIGHT TO THE RESPECT OF HUMAN DIGNITY, RECOGNITION OF LEGAL STATUS AND THE RIGHT NOT TO BE SUBJECTED TO TORTURE, SLAVERY AND SLAVE TRADE. 29. In a bid to add to and update what has already been said in the tenth periodic report, the DRC has adopted strong measures to demonstrate its commitment to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and its genuine will to effectively address violations of the respect of human dignity, and to maintain the recognition of the legal status and the right not to be subjected to torture, slavery and slave trade. 30. Thus, the Constitution of 18 February 2006 as amended to date specifies in Article 16 that human life is sacred. The State is duty bound to respect and to protect that life. Every individual has the right to life, to physical integrity and to freely develop their personality by respecting the law, public order, the rights of others and good moral standards. No human being can be held in slavery or related conditions. No individual can be subjected to inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment and no one can be held under forced or compulsory labour. 19