A/HRC/36/31 6. Egypt 31. Allegations of reprisals in the form of travel bans against human rights defenders attempting to participate in human rights meetings were acted upon by special procedure mandate holders (see A/HRC/34/75, para. 10, EGY 15/2016)3. Some of these allegations were related to participation in the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention and in training on gender equality and women’s rights. Allegations of reprisals against civil society in the form of asset freezes were raised by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders (A/HRC/34/52/Add.1, para. 662). Staff members of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and members of their families allege to have been targeted for their cooperation with the universal periodic review mechanism and for having meetings with representatives of the United Nations. 32. On 22 November 2016, three mandate holders raised concerns with the Government of Egypt about draft legislation on non-governmental organizations, including a provision restricting cooperation with foreign organizations without prior authorization (see A/HRC/34/75, para. 10, EGY 14/2016). The experts were concerned that the draft legislation would impose severe restrictions on civil society organizations and impinge on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association. In April 2017, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights addressed concerns about the implications of the proposed legislation and raised individual cases with the Government. 33. On 3 May 2017, four mandate holders expressed concerns about the abduction, detention, torture and ill-treatment of Dr. Ahmed Shawky Abdelsattar Mohamed Amasha, reportedly in retaliation for his activities as a human rights defender. Those activities included documenting cases of enforced disappearances for special procedures (see A/HRC/36/25, para. 13, EGY 5/2017). 7. Eritrea 34. In its final report to the Human Rights Council in June 2016, the commission of inquiry on human rights in Eritrea highlighted its finding that the protection of witnesses and victims continued to be a central concern during the commission’s mandate, and that almost all victims and witnesses who spoke with the commission feared reprisals by Eritrean authorities, either against themselves or their family members in Eritrea (A/HRC/32/47, para. 8). In this context, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea reiterated in her statement to the General Assembly, in October 2016, her commitment to address reprisals against those who had cooperated with the commission or with her mandate, and to ensure that appropriate follow-up was conducted by relevant mechanisms. In its resolution 35/35, the Human Rights Council encouraged States in which witnesses resided to protect from reprisals those who had cooperated with the commission of inquiry and the Special Rapporteur. 8. Honduras 35. On 22 September 2015, the e-mail accounts of Asociación para una Ciudanía Participativa, a non-governmental organization, were reportedly hacked. On 2 March 2017, Hedme Castro, general coordinator of the association, was briefly held at Tegucigalpa airport, where she was preparing to board a flight to Geneva to participate in the thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council. Ms. Castro was reportedly questioned about the activities scheduled in Geneva and the human rights-related complaints she intended to make. She was also subjected to further acts of intimidation, in April and May, when the tyres of her car were slashed and when she was assaulted during a demonstration against a mining company. Special procedures took action in response to these allegations and have been in contact with the Government thereon. The Assistant Secretary-General has also addressed cases with the Government. 3 8 See also OHCHR, “Egypt steps up travel bans on rights defenders with ‘chilling effect’, UN expert warns”, press release, 24 November 2016.