A/HRC/42/30 Coalition of Human Rights Defenders. The Permanent Mission, which made its request public on Twitter, denounced the interruption of a side event it had organized by “former” members of civil society who are now wanted by the Burundian justice system. The names of the defenders were made public and the individuals were later attacked on social media. Ms. Marie Louise Baricako, Mr. Janvier Bigirimana, Ms. Yvette Ininahazwe, Mr. Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, Ms. Eulalie Nibizi, Mr. Alexandre Niyungeko, Mr. Pacifique Nininahazwe, and Mr. Vital Nshimirimana consented to be named in the present report, while others did not due to the fear of further reprisals. 11. On 5 March 2019, the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced with deep regret that the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi was closed at the insistence of the Government and that its staff had been “severely hampered in their ability to look into allegations of violations” since the October 2016 suspension of cooperation.61 The climate of intimidation, reprisals and fear in Burundi prevented OHCHR from engaging with human rights defenders, especially those based in the country. Civil society actors in the country have reportedly avoided being publicly associated with OHCHR. 12. On 5 October 2018, the Human Rights Council urged the Government of Burundi to stop any reprisal against human rights defenders who cooperate with international human rights mechanisms, including the Council (A/HRC/RES/39/14, para. 15). The Council mentioned the closure of OHCHR in Burundi and underlined the need for the Office to fulfil its mandate and to resume its activities, including its monitoring and reporting functions, with full access to persons and locations (para. 14). 8. China 13. It was reported that several activists, human rights defenders and lawyers, including Ms. Li Xiaoling, Ms. Li Yuhan, Mr. Liu Zhengqing, Ms. Xu Yan, and Mr. Zhen Jianghua, had been targeted for engaging with the United Nations human rights mechanisms or attending trainings on how to engage with United Nations human rights bodies, organized by civil society with United Nations resource persons. 14. On 27 November 2018, the Zhuhai City Xiangzhou District Court convicted activist Ms. Li Xiaoling, who had engaged with the UN human rights mechanisms, of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after a 14 November 2018 trial and sentenced her to three years in prison, suspended for five years. She had first been detained in June 2017 and reportedly been denied adequate medical treatment. Ms. Li was released on probation on 3 December 2018 and prevented from leaving Zhuhai. She is fitted with an electronic bracelet to track her movements and record her voice. 15. A trial hearing for human rights lawyer Ms. Li Yuhan, who had engaged with the UN human rights mechanisms, at the Shenyang City Heping District Court was scheduled for 9 April 2019 but then cancelled on 6 April 2019. She is in pre-trial detention on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” since being seized by the police on 9 October 2017 and formally arrested on 15 November 2017. Ms. Li has reportedly suffered illtreatment and torture in detention and denied medical treatment. In August 2018, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that the detention of Ms. Li Yuhan is arbitrary and recommended that she be released and provided compensation.62 16. On 10 January 2019, human rights lawyer Mr. Liu Zhengqing, who had engaged with the UN human rights mechanisms, was disbarred on the grounds that his defense statements “endangered national security” and “slandered” the State. He had previously faced reprisals for representing a human rights defender’s case addressed by the United Nations, and his case had been addressed by several mandate holders in 2011 (CHN 61 62 20 OHCHR, “UN Human Rights Office in Burundi closes,” (5 March 2019). Opinion No. 62/2018 adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its eighty-second session, concerning Wang Quanzhang, Jiang Tianyong and Li Yuhan (China), 20–24 August 2018.