A/HRC/51/47 29. On 11 February 2022,18 the Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General noted with concern the detention of at least two individuals who cooperated closely with the CICIG. On 31 March 2022, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers addressed the arrests between 10 and 23 February 2022 of five prosecutors and one lawyer who had worked with the FECI in a high-profile case against public officials and organized crime, including many investigated with the technical assistance of the CICIG (GTM 1/2022). The prosecutors are Ms. Siomara Sosa, Ms. Paola Escobar, Ms. Aliss Morán, Mr. William Racanac and Ms. Virginia Laparra, and the lawyer is Ms. Leily Santizo, also former CICIG staff. Charges included counts of abuse of authority, usurpation of functions, obstruction to justice and false testimony. Trial against four of the prosecutors is ongoing. Virginia Laparra remains in pretrial detention since 23 February 2022. 30. On 1 July 2022, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report with information on the detention situation and ongoing trials against the prosecutors Ms. Siomara Sosa, Ms. Paola Escobar, Ms. Aliss Morán, Mr. William Racanac and Ms. Virginia Laparra and the pretrial detention of Ms. Leily Santizo, all of them under charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of justice and false testimony as well as additional information on the situation of other judges and magistrates of the Constitutional Court. The Government also shared information on the situation of the independence of judges and lawyers and the protection of the judiciary, and clarified that the authorities are not aware of alleged acts of intimidation and reprisals or attacks against judges and prosecutors. 8. Iran (Islamic Republic of) 31. Multiple United Nations actors raised concerns about an increased use of violence against civil society actors, including in particular excessive use of force in the context of peaceful demonstrations and the widespread, systematic and continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers following unfair trials and long prison sentences on broad national security-related charges. 19 They also expressed concerns about legislative developments in connection with increased surveillance and privacy risks. Reportedly, this environment has intensified the fear of reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations among civil society, including victims of human rights violations and their family members, preventing them from engaging with the United Nations and human rights mechanisms. 32. In his 2022 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran raised concerns about “the high risk of reprisals that individuals and organizations face for engaging with international human rights mechanisms […] and called on the Government to open the space for engagement, particularly with domestic actors and civil society.20 33. According to information received by OHCHR during the reporting period, some families of victims of human rights violations were allegedly warned by the authorities against raising their cases publicly, including with the United Nations. Allegedly, on at least two occasions, the families of victims of human rights violations were evicted from their homes due to pressure from the authorities on their landlord following their public and United Nations’ engagement on their relative’s case. During the reporting period, individuals and their families expressed reluctance about or declined United Nations action on their cases due to fear of further reprisals. Names and details of individuals concerned are withheld for fear of further reprisals. 34. On 10 January 2022, the General Assembly in resolution 76/178 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran called upon Iran “to release persons detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms […] and to end reprisals against human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and their families, journalists and media workers 18 19 20 https://www.un.org/sg/en/node/261868. https://www.ohchr.org/en/speeches/2022/03/global-update-bachelet-urges-inclusion-combat-sharplyescalating-misery-and-fear. See also A/HRC/49/75, paras. 9–12 and 22–26, and IRN 12/2021, IRN 14/2021, IRN 16/2021, IRN 22/2021, IRN 27/2021, IRN 28/2021, IRN 31/2021, IRN 33/2021, IRN 35/2021, IRN 1/2022. A/HRC/49/75, para. 4. 23