A/HRC/33/19 Department of Social Security, who questioned him about the reasons behind his recent activities. By letter of 29 September 2015, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela requested an extension of the deadline for its response. By letter of 9 December 2015, the Government indicated that Mr. Valencia had not lodged a complaint, but that the national coordination body for the protection of victims, witnesses and other parties to judicial proceedings stood ready to process any complaint that was forthcoming (ibid.). 35. The Human Rights Committee, in its concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, also raised concerns over reports received that some persons who had cooperated with the Committee regarding the review of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were subsequently “the target of disparaging statements made by the President of the National Assembly in the television programme ‘Con el Mazo Dando’” and that “those statements were made shortly after the Committee had drawn the delegation’s attention to previous statements by the same person regarding the contribution of civil society organizations to the work of other international human rights mechanisms” (see CCPR/C/VEN/CO/4, para. 18). The Committee called on the State party to take all necessary steps to protect those who had contributed to its work and to ensure that public officials ceased to make disparaging statements about them (ibid.). 36. In that regard, on 20 July 2015, three mandate holders raised allegations of reprisals against eight human rights defenders for their cooperation with the Human Rights Committee and for organizing a workshop on how to submit human rights cases to international organizations (see A/HRC/31/79, VEN 9/2015). On 1 July 2015, the President of the National Assembly, in his television programme “Con el Mazo Dando”, mentioned the participation of Ligia Bolíviar, Carlos Correa, Humberto Prado Sifontes, Alfredo Romero, Rocío San Manuel and Tamara Sujú in the session of the Human Rights Committee on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, held in June 2015, stating that they “conspire and defend dark interests”. In addition, he showed the photographs of Ms. Sujú and Mr. Romero, stating they were involved in presenting “false reports against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” to the United Nations. Moreover, he reportedly referred to Mr. Romero, Feliciano Reyna and Mr. Uzcátegui (see para. 33 above) in connection with a workshop they held in December 2014 on how to submit human rights cases to international organizations. At the time of finalization of the present report, no response had been received from the Government. 37. On 22 July 2015, due to the seriousness of the allegations mentioned above, a group of mandate holders together with Inter-American human rights experts, issued a press release in which they deplored the “clear pattern” of discrediting and intimidating human rights defenders on the country’s State-controlled television in reprisal for their cooperation with the United Nations and regional bodies in the field of human rights. The experts recalled that the United Nations and Inter-American human rights bodies were charged with monitoring the implementation by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of its international and regional human rights obligations and as such, the Government was bound to respect and defend the participation of rights activists in those proceedings. The experts called on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately cease the targeting of individuals for their cooperation with the United Nations or regional bodies in the field of human rights. 7 11. Viet Nam 38. On 30 October 2015, a group of mandate holders raised allegations of intimidation and reprisals against Do Thi Mai, the mother of a child who died in prison reportedly as a result of torture (see A/HRC/31/79, VNM 1/2015). Following the death of her son in early 7 12 OAS, “IACHR wraps up its 157th session”, 15 April 2016.