A/HRC/54/61 Ms. Tannagasheva took the floor as a civil society organization representative at the EMRIP. As she finished her statement, she was approached by a representative of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in Geneva, who asked her name, phone number and her business card [in a reportedly aggressive manner]. 73 They also addressed the allegation of the subsequent removal of related content from the website of a partner organization where the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia, the organization Ms. Tannagasheva is a member of, had uploaded a statement on the incident. Reportedly the hosting provider of the website received an e-mail with a request from the Russian authorities to remove the page from the Internet within 24 hours. Mandate holders expressed concern that the reported incident of intimidation may have a significant chilling effect on the participation and freedom of expression of representatives of indigenous peoples in the EMRIP and the Human Rights Council, from the Russian Federation and beyond (RUS 15/2022). 101. On 12 and 13 April 2023, during the dialogue between the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the delegation of the Russian Federation in regard to the Committee’s consideration of the Russian Federation’s twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth periodic reports, the Committee sought clarifications on the reported attempt to intimidate Ms. Tannagasheva as she was making a statement at the session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in July 2022 and the reported request by the authorities to the organization represented by Ms. Tannagasheva to remove the statement they published in their website about the incident at EMRIP (CERD/C/SR.2959 para. 28). The Committee recommended in its concluding observations that the State party conduct effective, thorough and impartial investigations into all reported cases of intimidation and harassment of, and threats and reprisals against, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, activists and members of civil society organizations (CERD/C/RUS/CO/25-26, para. 19). 21. South Sudan 102. The Secretary-General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reiterated ongoing concerns about undue restrictions to civic and political space and the continued harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, detention, and ill treatment of journalist, human rights activists and other individuals expressing views critical of the Government.74 103. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) human rights division documented two separate incidents of intimidation and death threats against two individuals for their collaboration and engagement with the United Nations. A relative of one of the individuals was also the target of reprisals for the cooperation of the individual with the Mission. Names and details of those concerned are withheld due to fear of further reprisals. 104. The UNMISS human rights division also documented several instances where civil society actors expressed fear of coming under Government surveillance or of having their organizations infiltrated by individuals affiliated or working for the Government. Civil society shared concerns about Government surveillance through the monitoring of their phones or/and the tracking of their movements. This reportedly contributed to a general climate of fear, which negatively impacted the ability of civil society to cooperate with the Mission. 105. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported having gathered testimonies of members of the public, journalists, human rights activists and members of civil society organizations who feared having their cases raised by the United Nations, because of risks of reprisals against them, their families, and organizations they may be affiliated with. Some civil society members told the Commission that they were worried 73 74 GE.23-15378 https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1r/k1rjz6g7a7. S/2023/135, para. 96; S/2022/918, para. 73; A/HRC/52/26 paras. 19–23; https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/03/strengthening-accountability-and-civicspace-critical-south-sudans. 37