A/HRC/36/31 18. Rwanda 64. Special procedure mandate holders took action in response to allegations of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders, Epimack Kwokwo and Robert Mugabe for their cooperation with the universal periodic review, the Human Rights Council and special procedures. These allegations also drew attention to the declaration that Mr. Kwokwo was persona non grata in Rwanda and his subsequent expulsion from the country, and the kidnapping and intense daily interrogation of Mr. Mugabe (see A/HRC/34/75, para. 10, RWA 1/2016 and A/HRC/35/44, para. 12, RWA 1/2017). The mandate holders have been in contact with the Government on these cases. 65. Between September 2014 and March 2015, Epimack Kwokwo, a human rights defender from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Executive Secretary of the League for the Defense of Human Rights in the Great Lakes region, coordinated the work of various civil society organizations reporting on the situation of human rights in Rwanda for a submission to the universal periodic review of the country scheduled for November 2015. According to allegations received, on 12 October 2015 Mr. Kwokwo was stopped and detained by immigration officers for seven hours on the border between Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda as he was coming back from a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was interrogated on his work on human rights and the reports produced by the League. His passport was confiscated by immigration authorities. He was also told that he had contributed to “frame Rwanda in a bad light” given his contribution to the submission to the universal periodic review. Between January and March 2016 he was stopped by immigration services five times and asked about his work and his residence in Rwanda. In May 2016, Mr. Kwokwo was interviewed twice at the immigration office in Kigali. He was informed that he was declared persona non grata in Rwanda and would be expelled from the country. 66. On 5 July 2016, mandate holders raised concerns with the Government (see A/HRC/34/75, RWA 1/2016). On 22 September 2016, the Government responded that Mr. Kwokwo had been expelled as a result of his repeated violations of and disregard for the immigration laws of Rwanda, and that the expulsion had nothing to do with his human rights work as alleged. 67. On 18 January 2017, mandate holders raised concerns regarding acts of intimidation and reprisals, including attempted kidnapping and intense daily interrogation, allegedly committed against Robert Mugabe, a journalist and human rights defender, following his cooperation with United Nations human rights mechanisms (see A/HRC/35/44, RWA 1/2017). In November 2015, Mr. Mugabe submitted a report to the universal periodic review on Rwanda. In September 2016, he attended the thirty-third session of the Human Rights Council and held meetings with OHCHR. In October 2016, once back in Rwanda, he was subject to intimidation and harassment by plain-clothed armed men on a number of occasions, including attempted kidnapping. When he filed a complaint for the attempted kidnapping, the police instead opened an investigation against him on charges of treason and spreading rumours with the intent to undermine the Government. On 23 December 2016 the police reportedly started daily intense interrogations of Mr. Mugabe. At the time of the finalization of the report, no response had been received from the Government. 19. Saudi Arabia 68. Special procedure mandate holders took action on the case of Issa Al-Hamid, a human rights defender and member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by an 11-year travel ban and fine of 100,000 Riyals. He was originally sentenced to nine years by the Specialized Criminal Court for, inter alia, having “communicated with international organizations in order to harm the image of the State”, a charge that according to special procedures appear to also constitute an act of reprisal for cooperating with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights. His sentence was increased by two years on 1 December 2016 by the Court of Appeal. 27