A/HRC/42/30 confinement for seven months, during which he was severely tortured and sustained injuries requiring five surgeries. On 4 December 2016, Mr. Mekkaoui was sentenced to 15 years in prison based on confessions extracted under torture. On 5 December 2018, the Arabic television channel Al Arabi broadcasted a video segment on Mr. Mekkaoui’s case, detailing his torture and prosecution in the UAE, and the Opinion issued by the Working Group. The video also featured an interview with Mr. Mekkaoui’s sister and his lawyer. 104. Consequently, and as an alleged act of reprisal, on 17 December 2018 Mr. Mekkaoui was moved to solitary confinement and was put in a cell underground, without natural day light. Since then, Mr. Mekkaoui has only intermittently been able to contact his family and the last phone call he made was on 15 April 2019. Moreover, in March 2019, the Public Prosecution initiated new legal proceedings against Mr. Mekkaoui, his sister, his nephew and his lawyer, accusing them of “misrepresentation and incitement against the UAE” based on the interviews from 5 December 2018 and his nephew’s Facebook page calling for Mr. Mekkaoui’s immediate release. His health reportedly remains critical. 105. It is alleged that three women in detention, Ms. Alya Abdulnoor, Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi and Ms. Amina Alabduli, faced reprisals after information on their conditions of detention and health situations were shared in December 2018 with the United Nations special procedures, including recorded testimonies. Their conditions and the treatment of their family members while visiting prison reportedly worsened following action by three special procedures mandate holders on 12 February 2019 (ARE 2/2019). The authorities denied the allegations on 4 March 2019.101 106. Ms. Alya Abdulnoor was arrested in July 2015 and charged with “financing terrorism” after she helped raise funds for needy Syrian families in the United Arab Emirates and war-affected women and children in Syria. Before her transfer to Al-Wathba prison, Ms. Alya Abdulnoor was reportedly held in secret detention and in solitary confinement for six months and subjected to intense interrogation, torture, and threats. In 2015 she was re-diagnosed with cancer shortly after her arrest and despite her health condition was not provided with adequate medical treatment. After her state of health worsened significantly, she was transferred to Mafraq Hospital in November 2016 and was kept there until January 2019. 107. At the beginning of January 2019, a few weeks after a press release on her conditions, Ms. Abdulnoor was suddenly transferred to Tawam hospital where medical staff had very limited access to her and treatment was monitored and authorised by the authorities. The authorities reportedly imposed more restrictions during visits, relatives were subjected to humiliating body searches and their personal belongings were taken from them. Ms. Abdulnoor died in custody on 4 May 2019, despite pleas from the United Nations for assistance.102 108. Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi was detained on 19 February 2015 and accused of “financing terrorism” because of her donation to a Syrian family. She was transferred to a secret detention center in solitary confinement where she stayed for five months, and was reportedly interrogated and subjected to beatings on the head and threatened with rape. It is alleged that a confession was obtained under duress and, on 12 April 2016, Ms. Al-Ballushi was sentenced to 5 years prison at Al-Wathba prison. After information was submitted about the situation of Ms. Al-Ballushi and others to the United Nations special procedures, the family was reportedly contacted by a female State Security officer who threatened to bring Ms. Al-Ballushi to trial again and lay new charges against her. She also threatened to harm the family members if Ms Al-Ballushi kept denouncing her detention conditions. 109. On 4 May 2019, shortly after Ms. Abdulnoor’s death, allegedly because they were seen as information sources to advocates abroad including the United Nations, Ms. AlBallushi and her cellmate, Ms. Amina Alabduli, were subjected to unequal treatment within 101 102 40 Response from Government: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=34572. OHCHR, “UAE: Terminally ill prisoner, Alia Abdulnoor, must be released to “live final days in dignity,” say experts” (26 February 2019); OHCHR, Press Briefing Note, Spokesperson of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (7 May 2019). GE.19-15332