A/HRC/60/62
126. On 7 March 2025, mandate holders addressed new allegations about attempts to
poison Ms. Achilova and her daughter, their involuntary hospitalisation that prevented their
travel to Geneva for the Martin Ennals Award ceremony, and Ms. Achilova’s ongoing
harassment, which includes alleged surveillance, and alleged monitoring of her online
communications and calls (TKM 1/2025).
127. Ms. Achilova’s travel to Geneva for the award ceremony was scheduled for
20 November 2024, and she was supposed to be accompanied by her daughter. Between
10 and 18 November 2024, alleged poisoning attempts targeting Ms. Achilova and her family
occurred when unknown individuals reportedly offered Ms. Achilova juice and food as part
of sadaqah (an Islamic charitable tradition). Ms. Achilova set the items aside, and a guest
who visited later then ate the items. This guest then allegedly experienced severe symptoms.
Moreover, on the day of the planned departure, four individuals in doctor’s uniforms arrived
at her house when she was preparing to leave for the airport. Ms. Achilova was forced into
an ambulance and taken to an infectious disease hospital, where she was allegedly told that
her hospitalization was linked to her guest’s health condition. Her daughter was hospitalized
shortly after, and both remained involuntarily hospitalized for six days, until the human rights
event had concluded. Reportedly, they were not diagnosed with any infectious disease. (TKM
1/2025).
128. Mandate holders expressed their deep concern that Ms. Achilova remains unable to
travel, emphasizing that the poisoning attempts seemed a deliberate attempt to prevent her
from attending the Martin Ennals Award Ceremony. They urged the Government to end all
acts of reprisal and intimidation against human rights defenders, to guarantee the safety of
Ms. Achilova and her family, and to allow her to travel to carry out her legitimate human
rights activities. (TKM 1/2025). In April 2025, mandate holders demanded an immediate
investigation into the alleged poisoning attempt.127
129. In its concluding observations of the third periodic report of Turkmenistan, the
Committee against Torture also expressed concern about the information regarding efforts to
prevent Ms. Achilova from travelling to Geneva for the awards ceremony in 2024. The
Committee also noted with concern the numerous and consistent allegations of serious acts
of intimidation, reprisals and threats against human rights defenders, journalists and their
relatives, and the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of such individuals in relation to their
work (CAT/C/TKM/CO/3, para. 17).
16.
United Arab Emirates
130. The case of Mr. Mohamed al-Mansoori was included in the 2014 and 2024 reports
of the Secretary-General128 as one of the civil society activists on trial in the so-called UAE
94 case for calling for change in a peaceful way in March 2013. In 2013, his detention was
deemed arbitrary by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (A/HRC/WGAD/2013/60)
together with 60 other individuals. In December 2023 and January 2024, mandate holders
raised concerns about the allegations concerning the mass trials of 84 individuals, a majority
of whom, including Mr. Al-Mansoori, had already served their sentences (ARE 1/2024).129
The Government responded to mandate holders denying the allegations.130
131. The case of Mr. Ahmed Mansoor, advisor to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights and
Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division, was included in the 2014
and 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 and 2024 reports of the Secretary-General. 131
127
See https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/un-expert-urges-turkmenistan-investigatealleged-poisoning-attempts.
128 A/HRC/27/38, para. 45; A/HRC/57/60, Annex II, paras. 160-165.
129 United Arab Emirates: UN experts alarmed by new charges brought against civil society in UAE87
trial | OHCHR; https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/12/uae-un-expert-denounces-newcharges-brought-against-jailed-human-rights.
130 https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=38338.
131 A/HRC/36/31, para. 60 and Annex I, paras. 86–87; A/HRC/39/41, Annex II, para. 55; A/HRC/42/30,
para. 79 and Annex II, paras. 103–104; A/HRC/45/36, Annex II, paras. 126–127; A/HRC/48/28,
69