A/HRC/45/36 interrogated for twelve hours about his past activities defending the religious freedom of his parishioners, and about the 2019 conference in Bangkok (VNM 2/2020). 152. On 13 July 2020, the Government responded in detail to the note verbale in connection to the present report. Regarding the situation of Ms. Truong Thi Ha, it informed that during her time in mandatory health quarantine, she received the same treatment as others; her rights were respected, including having her health monitored, staying in touch with her family, posting and sharing updates about her situation on Facebook and provided with adequate accommodation and meals. Currently, Ms. Truong Thi Ha is free and not a subject of any criminal detention or prosecution. On 19 June 2020, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances decided to consider the case clarified. 153. Concerning the case of Ms. Dinh Thi Phuong Thao, the Vietnamese police suspected that she had attended training courses organized by Viet Tan, a terrorist group founded in 1982 in Thailand. In 2019, when returning to Viet Nam, Ms. Dinh Thi Phuong Thao was asked by the police to provide details on her activities relating to the terrorist group Viet Tan, not because of her cooperation with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms. Vietnamese authorities neither withdrew nor confiscated her passport. 154. Regarding the individuals attending the 2019 annual international conference in Bangkok on freedom of religion or belief in Southeast Asia, the Government stated that relevant authorities do not “intimidate” or “harass” individuals because they attend an international workshop or conference. It further stated that information indicating that “members of independent religious communities and human rights defenders” faced acts of intimidation and reprisals, in the forms of threats, harassment, travel restrictions, surveillance, and acts of violence before and after attending the 2019 annual international conference in Bangkok on freedom of religion or belief, is untrue. 39. Yemen 155. In its August 2019 report to the Human Rights Council, the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen (GEE)110 regretted that the Government did not respond to its multiple requests for permission to enter the country, thereby preventing access to victims and information (A/HRC/42/17, para.7). The GEE denounced the environment of fear created by some of the parties to the conflict that caused witnesses, victims and organizations to reconsider their cooperation with it and noted the lack of safe spaces for victims and witnesses to speak privately with investigators had a detrimental impact on its work (para. 7). 156. In its report, the GEE highlighted that it had received numerous reports of human rights defenders being banned by the de facto authorities from travelling outside the country, or being interrogated when returning from activities abroad. The GEE investigated violations in 2018 and 2019 against human rights defenders, including women rights defenders, but victims requested that information related to their cases remain confidential for fear of reprisals. The GEE also referred to a fear of reprisals by victims and local witnesses as one important factor frustrating its investigations of reported incidents throughout the country (A/HRC/42/CPR.1, paras. 395, 494, 577, and 609). 157. OHCHR received information on alleged acts of reprisals against Mr. Akram AlShawafi, of Watch for Human Rights, who has documented human rights violations, particularly in Taizz governorate, since 2015. Between October 2019 and March 2020, Mr. Al-Shawafi engaged with the GEE, and with the Security Council sanctions committee. The cases submitted to the GEE included documented violations against civilians, including cases of child sexual abuse and rape, as well as arbitrary detention of civilians in illegal prisons, and the issuing of arbitrary death sentences. OHCHR was informed that Watch for Human Rights has been smeared on social media, and Mr. Akram Al-Shawafi has been accused of collaborating with international bodies and offending the Yemeni military force. 158. The offices of the organization in Taizz were reportedly raided by the forces of the internationally recognized Government of Yemen, who threatened staff members and closed it in October 2019. The same month, as well as in April 2020, there were two 110 50 Human Rights Council resolution 36/31.