A/HRC/54/61 police officer reportedly sent a group of armed men to the chairperson’s house three times, also threatening to kill the family members. 35. In January 2023, the chairperson of another NGO that works against sexual and gender-based violence in North Kivu province received anonymous threat calls in relation to information shared with the Mission on the rape of dozens of women and the massacre of hundreds of men allegedly committed by the M23. Both individuals and their families were relocated by UNJHRO for fear of further reprisals against them. 36. Reportedly, in July 2022, a human rights defender and member of a human rights defenders’ network based in Jomba, North Kivu province, received several death threats on the phone and visits at home by members of an armed group that had occupied several localities in the neighbourhood. Reportedly, members of the armed group accused the defender of having shared information with MONUSCO on the alleged violence and abuse against the local population. With UNJHRO assistance, the defender relocated twice, but he continues to receive threats from members of the armed group. 37. In November 2022, a witness of violence and abuse by the M23 when they took over an area in North Kivu received death threats after having shared information with the Mission. The witness managed to leave the area and has remained in hiding since then. 7. Egypt 38. In September and October 2022, special procedures mandate holders addressed allegations of undue restrictions to and intimidation and surveillance of civil society actors and indigenous people’s representatives participating at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP27), which took place in Sharm el Sheikh from 6 to 18 November 2023, and raised concerns about allegations of intimidation and reprisals in connection to the Conference (EGY 9/2022).30 39. On 30 September 2022, mandate holders noted alleged restrictions to accreditation of some Egyptian NGOs to access the venue as well as to organize peaceful gatherings apart from a government-designated space adjacent to the venue of COP27. Mandate holders raised concerns that obstacles to the participation of independent civil society actors and human rights defenders, in particular those based in Egypt, may not only inhibit their cooperation but may dissuade them from engaging publicly for fear of reprisals. Experts sought assurances from the Government that no individuals who were peacefully protesting or participating at the COP27 would be harassed, intimidated, and/or arrested during or after COP27 (EGY 9/2022).31 40. On 18 November 2023, during COP27, mandate holders publicly addressed32 multiple reports and evidence of participants, including civil society actors and indigenous peoples, being stopped and interrogated by Egyptian security officers. They also addressed allegations of support staff repeatedly monitoring and photographing civil society actors inside the COP27 venue without their consent. Experts expressed concern at the chilling effect of these actions on civil society participating in COP27 as many groups had expressed concern about the need to self-censor to ensure their safety and security. Mandate holders also referred to reports of participants being subject to intrusive questioning at the airport when entering Egypt. 41. According to information received by OHCHR, on 23 January 2023, the website of the NGO Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) came under a Domain Name System (DNS) poisoning cyber-attack33 hours after the Institute published a joint report to the 30 31 32 33 26 https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/egypt-un-experts-alarmed-restrictions-civil-societyahead-climate-summit. Ibid. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/egypt-un-experts-alarmed-harassment-civil-societyactors-cop27-climate. DNS cache poisoning is the act of entering false information into a DNS cache, so that DNS queries return an incorrect response and users are directed to the wrong websites. DNS cache poisoning is also known as ‘DNS spoofing”. GE.23-15378