A/HRC/51/47 had been in hiding prior due to threats of arrest and violence by state security forces. The three FFC members were arrested close to the UNITAMS headquarters and detained for three weeks, when they were released along with other political detainees. During their arrest, they were reportedly asked about their meeting at UNITAMS and the nature of the information they shared. UNITAMS issued a statement on 5 November condemning the arrest and urging the authorities to release them immediately.49 72. On 7 April 2022, Ms. Sulaima Al-Khalifa, Director of the Unit for Combatting Violence against Women under the Ministry of Social Development, was reportedly summoned by Office of the Prosecutor of Crimes against the State in Khartoum following the briefing by the SRSG and Head of UNITAMS to the UN Security Council on 28 March 2022 on the situation in the Sudan and activities of UNITAMS,50 during which the SRSG referred to her Unit’s cooperation with the UN. Ms. Al-Khalifa was reportedly questioned about statements made and interviews given regarding sexual violence in Sudan as well as about the sources of information used for the UN Security Council briefing. The General Prosecutor’s office reportedly filed a complaint against Ms. Al-Khalifa on charges of “crimes against the State”, but she was released on bail the same day. On 12 April 2022, she was again summoned to the Office of the Prosecutor of Crimes against the State for questioning and informed that state security agents would visit her office. 73. Ms. Al-Khalifa participated in an integrated working group with local and civil society partners established by the UN in October 2021 to monitor and consolidate information on cases of sexual violence and to coordinate access to medical, legal, and psychosocial assistance for survivors. The participation of the Ministry of Social Welfare in the working group was noted in the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Sudan (S/2022/172, para. 43). The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, UNITAMS and OHCHR are following the case closely and are in contact with relevant authorities. 20. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 74. During the reporting period, multiple UN actors have addressed undue restrictions on, harassment, and public vilification of civil society actors inhibiting their engagement with the UN. OHCHR and mandate holders continued to raise concerns about legislation impeding the work of civil society organizations, some of which face criminal prosecution related to their work (A/HRC/47/55, para. 47, VEN 7/2021 and VEN 9/2021), including for implementing UN humanitarian programmes (see annex II). NGOs, journalists, media workers and human rights activists reported limiting or ceasing their activities due to fear of prosecution. Many reported leaving the country owing to rumours of investigations or arrest warrants against them. Others decided to exercise self-censorship (A/HRC/47/55, para. 62). 75. On 7 July and 19 November 2021, mandate holders addressed various laws in force, or in the process of being adopted affecting the functioning of NGOS, including their cooperation or engagement with the UN (VEN 7/2021 and 8/2021). Noting previous concerns about additional legal and administrative controls introduced on the registration, funding and operation of NGOs, mandate holders addressed the alleged exacerbation of pre-existing obstacles to their work, including the multiplication of registries and inspection mechanisms as well as the lack of information on the sanctions for non-compliance and the restrictions on access to foreign funding (A/HRC/47/55 and VEN 5/2020). They asked the Government about the application of the mentioned regulatory framework and mechanisms to NGOs cooperating with the UN in the implementation of the Humanitarian Response Plan (VEN 8/2021). 76. On 14 January 2022, mandate holders addressed allegations of increased threats and harassment against Ms. Theresly Malavé Wadskier following the release and presentation of the report of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela in September 2021, 49 50 https://unitams.unmissions.org/en/unitams-statement-detention-members-ffc%E2%80%99s-centralcouncil. https://media.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11ts64c7y (time stamp 07:50–08:25). 31