A/HRC/33/19 at its thirty-first session, on 22 March 2016, the independent experts stated that the reports were disconcerting and that the Government should undertake to exercise due diligence to ensure that those who engage with the mission as well as other observers are not subjected to reprisals. At the time of finalization of the present report, no response had been received from the Government. 3. China 22. In its concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of China, the Committee against Torture expressed concerns at allegations of intimidation and reprisals against several human rights defenders for their engagement with the Committee. Reportedly, seven Chinese human rights defenders, who had intended to travel to Geneva to attend the Committee’s consideration of the report of China, had been threatened by the Chinese authorities with negative professional consequences. Moreover, those who had defied the authorities’ orders had reportedly been detained on the ground that their participation could “endanger national security” (see CAT/C/SR.1368, para. 92, and CAT/C/CHN/CO/5, paras. 38-39). The Committee called on the State party to investigate those allegations and report back to it. At the time of finalization of the present report, no response had been received from the Government. 4. Iraq 23. On 29 September 2015, the Rapporteur on reprisals of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances raised allegations with the Iraqi authorities of intimidation of Salam al-Hashimi, an Iraqi national, who had sought to provide information to the Committee during its ninth session in relation to the review of the report submitted by Iraq (see A/71/56). On 7 September 2015, Mr. Al-Hashimi was prevented from passing a checkpoint that provides access to the Green Zone, where he was expected by staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, in order to communicate by video link with the Committee. On 10 September 2015, Mr. Al-Hashimi was intimidated by two individuals who stated that they belonged to the Presidential Regiment. On 28 January 2016, the Rapporteur raised additional allegations with the Iraqi authorities according to which, on 22 December 2015, the Director of the Counter-Terrorism Forces had issued an arrest warrant against Mr. Al-Hashimi on terrorism charges, reportedly related to his engagement with the Committee (ibid.). On 29 January 2016, the Iraqi authorities requested additional information on the identity of Mr. Al-Hashimi, in particular a copy of his identity documents and the full name of his mother, in order to complete their inquiries. That information was provided by the Committee on 10 March 2016, with the consent of the persons involved (ibid.). At the time of finalization of the present report, no further response had been received from the Government. 24. On 13 April 2016, a group of mandate holders raised concerns over allegations of reprisals against Imad Amara and Faisal al-Tamimi, two human rights defenders working for the Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly, an NGO that documents cases of enforced disappearances in Iraq and submits them to the United Nations human rights mechanisms (see A/HRC/33/32, IRQ 1/2016). On 6 March 2016, Iraqi military forces stopped and searched Mr. Amara and Mr. Al-Tamimi’s car while the two men were on their way to meet families of disappeared persons. Both men were informed that a warrant had been issued for their arrest, before being handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. Mr. Amara and Mr. Al-Tamimi were severely beaten, insulted and threatened while being interrogated about their work for around two hours, before being released. Mandate holders also raised concerns over reports that other employees of Al Wissam had previously been subjected to intimidation and reprisals relating to the submission of cases to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, and some had left the country out of fear for 8