A/HRC/39/41 50. On 13 December 2016, three special procedures mandate holders raised concerns over allegations of reprisals against Mr. Al-Hamid for cooperating with the United Nations (A/HRC/35/44, SAU 8/2016). In its reply dated 13 February 2017, the Government did not address the case of Mr. Al-Hamid, as a response concerning his case had been provided already in relation to a previous communication (SAU 4/2016) in which the Government informed that he was sentenced by a lower court to nine years of imprisonment and a ban to travel outside the Kingdom for a similar period. The Government did not address the allegations relating to reprisals. 16. Thailand 51. The 2017 report of the Secretary-General (see A/HRC/36/31, para. 57 and Annex, paras. 78-79) noted that, in June 2016, grant recipients of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, Ms. Porpen Khongkachonkiet and Mr. Somchai Homla-or of Cross-Cultural Foundation and Ms. Anchana Heemmina of Duay Jai Group, were subject to a legal complaint filed by the Royal Thai Army operating in the Southern Border Provinces for publishing a report in February 2016 entitled “Fifty-four cases of torture and illtreatment in the Deep South documented in 2014-2015,” funded in part by the Voluntary Fund. They were consequently accused of publicizing false information on torture and illtreatment committed by military officials. The spokesperson of the Royal Thai Army in the region issued a public statement on 11 February 2016 accusing the organization of bias and of using outdated information to seek funding. 52. It is reported that the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4 filed a lawsuit against them for defamation and publication of false information on the internet. On 1 July 2017, plainclothes men believed to be military personnel visited Ms. Hemmina and warned her not to post comments about human rights violations on social media. Further to advocacy efforts related to the allegations, in November 2017, the ISOC 4 withdrew the defamation charges against Ms. Porpen Khongkachonkiet, Mr. Somchai Homla-or, and Ms. Anchana Heemmina. The charges were dropped by the Pattani Provincial Prosecutor. 53. On 13 September 2017 four special procedures mandate holders noted that Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, Ms. Porpen Khongkachonkiet and Ms. Anchana Heemmina, among others, were also reportedly subject to an online smear campaign, accusing them of bias and misinformation, and associating their human rights advocacy with the promotion of insurgency and separatist movements (THA 6/2017). Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit is a Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. Beginning in October 2016, the online blog “Conditions in South Thailand” regularly published content discrediting the work of Ms. Khongkachonkiet and Ms. Heemmina. Death threats were also posted online against Ms. Khongkachonkiet. 54. It was reported that on 14 February 2018, a case was opened against Mr. Ismaael Teh, founder of the Patani Human Rights Organization Network and a field officer since 2013 for an investigation funded by the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (see A/HRC/36/31, para. 57 and Annex, paras. 78-79). Mr. Teh is responsible for helping document 82 cases of allegations of torture that were submitted by civil society representatives to the Committee Against Torture. Military officials of the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 (ISOC Region 4) via the Pattani Provincial Police reportedly accused Mr. Teh of defamation following a television interview in which he recounted his own personal experience of torture while in military custody in Pattani province, in 2006. In October 2016, the Supreme Administrative Court had ruled that Mr. Teh had been physically abused in military custody based on medical records, and ordered the Thai Royal Army to award him compensation. Mr. Teh’s interview was broadcast on a Thai PBS program on 5 February 2018, after which he was accused of defaming the 4th Army Region and ISOC Region 4. 17. United Arab Emirates 55. Mr. Ahmed Mansoor, advisor to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division, was mentioned in the 2017 report of the Secretary-General (see A/HRC/36/31, para. 60 and Annex, paras. 84-85) and was the 50 GE.18-13325