A/HRC/54/61 nationality, declared them “fugitives from justice, and requested the confiscation of their properties. This decision was not taken as part of a criminal trial or any other legal procedure. 21. Pakistan 117. The case of Mr. Fazal ur Rehman Afridi was included in the 2021 report141 of the Secretary-General on allegations of intimidation, threats of reprisal and harassment as well as threats against his relatives, following his cooperation with the United Nations on human rights issues, including enforced disappearances (PAK 12/2020). Mr. Afridi is a human rights defender, president of the Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK), and member of the Pashtun Protection Movement, and has been in exile since 2009. 118. On 27 December 2022, special procedures mandate holders addressed calls by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights of investigations into the alleged existence of a “kill list” naming several individuals, including Mr. Afridi. On 12 August 2022, the Standing Committee had reportedly expressed concern about an alleged “kill list” that was published in a Facebook post by the Spokesperson of the Pakistani Taliban. The “kill list” reportedly contained the name of Mr. Afridi, among others. Some of these individuals were allegedly placed on this list due to their work defending human rights of the Pashtun minority and reporting on gross human rights violations, including on enforced disappearances (PAK 8/2022). 22. Philippines 119. The cases of the Karapatan Alliance of People’s Rights, a national alliance of human rights organizations, its Secretary General,142 Ms. Cristina Palabay, and its staff have been included since 2018 in the reports of the Secretary-General on allegations of red-tagging – i.e. the labelling as communists or terrorists – state-linked cyber-attacks, arbitrary arrests and charges in connection with their engagement with the United Nations. 143 During the reporting period, Karapatan continued to engage with the United Nations, including during the fourth cycle of Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines. 120. On 18 June 2022, days before Ms. Palabay was due to testify in a perjury court case brought by the authorities against her and other members of Karapatan in 2019, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders144 called on the authorities to protect human rights defenders instead of pursuing countersuits against them for seeking legal protection from threats. The September 2022 report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the implementation of HRC res 45/33 noted that, as of June 2022, several human rights defenders, including from Karapatan, were facing perjury charges (A/HRC/51/58, para. 35). 121. According to information received by OHCHR, on 9 January 2023, a judge from the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch acquitted Ms. Palabay and other Karapatan staff in the perjury case.145 On 2 March 2023, the Prosecutor Office of Quezon City and the current National Security Adviser filed a petition for certiorari concerning the judge and the human rights defenders as public and private respondents, respectively for a “grave abuse of discretion” in relation to the acquittal. 141 142 143 144 145 GE.23-15378 A/HRC/48/28, Annex I paras. 83–86. A/HRC/39/41, Annex I paras. 86–89; A/HRC/42/30, Annex II, para. 8; A/HRC/45/36, Annex II, paras. 100–101; A/HRC/48/28, Annex II, paras. 108–110; A/HRC/51/47, Annex II paras. 121–125. PHL 1/2020, PHL 3/2021, PHL 5/2021, see government replies at https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=36533; https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=36754. https://srdefenders.org/information/philippine-authorities-should-protect-human-rights-defenders/. PHL 1/2020. 67