A/HRC/27/38 compound, where he wished to submit a petition. On 22 August 2013, Sanja Sandanadas was questioned at her home by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department about her work and told not to organize any event during the visit of the High Commissioner. On 3 September 2013, Selvakumar Krishnapillai was questioned several times by two men about a petition presented to the High Commissioner; two days later he was asked to report to the Ministry of Defence.44 At the time of finalization of the present report, no reply had been received from the Government to a joint communication sent by several special procedures mandate holders. 33. On 21 March 2014, a group of special procedures mandate holders sent a joint communication regarding allegations that, on 6 March 2014, in its English news bulletin, the State-controlled Sri Lanka Rupavahini (TV) Corporation accused 24 civil society organizations of having issued a joint civil society memorandum to the Human Rights Council and the international community, while broadcasting the full names and images of the leaders of nine of those organizations and the names of affiliated civil society organizations. In the same bulletin, the Corporation allegedly also accused the mentioned organizations of having submitted false information to the international community to discredit the country, claimed that their memorandum would damage the peace and reconciliation prevailing in the country among various ethnic groups and regions and stated that it was common among NGOs to exaggerate information about the situation in Sri Lanka in order to receive funding.45 At the time of finalization of the present report, no reply had been received from the Government. 34. Visuvalingam Kirupaharan, General Secretary of the Tamil Centre for Human Rights, was reportedly threatened during the twenty-fifth session of the Human Rights Council. On 21 March 2014, Mr. Kirupaharan participated in a side event on human rights in Sri Lanka, organized by the International Buddhist Foundation. After the event, a journalist, reportedly from the Sri Lankan newspaper Divaina, approached Mr. Kirupaharan, stating that he could not return to Sri Lanka and that he would face consequences if he did so. The journalist allegedly told Mr. Kirupaharan that photographs of him at the Council would be published in newspapers in Sri Lanka.46 At the time of finalization of this report, no reply had been received from the Government to a joint communication sent on 27 March 2014 by three special procedures mandate holders. 13. Syrian Arab Republic 35. On 28 June 2013, several special procedures mandate holders raised allegations of reprisals against Khalil Matouk, Director of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies, and Mohammed Thatha, a member of the same Centre.47 Mr. Matouk had submitted information to special procedures on cases of grave human rights violations, including one relating to a number of individuals arrested during a raid on the offices of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (see para. 44 below). Mr. Matouk and Mr. Thatha were reportedly arrested on 2 October 2012. Contrary to official statements, Mr. Matouk has reportedly been kept in incommunicado detention at an Air Force Intelligence branch since March 2013 and his health has deteriorated. Mr. Thatha reportedly remains detained. On 31 March 2014, a reply to the joint communication sent by the special procedures mandate holders was received from the Government, which did not refer to the cases of Mr. Matouk and Mr. Thatha.48 44 45 46 47 48 12 A/HRC/26/21, case LKA 2/2014. A/HRC/27/72, case LKA 4/2014. A/HRC/27/72, case LKA 5/2014. A/HRC/25/74, case SYR 3/2013. A/HRC/27/72, case SYR 3/2013..