A/HRC/42/30
activities in Kyrgyzstan. The matter was remanded to the Oktyabrski Court which, on 16
January 2019, considered the case again but did not make a decision. As of May 2019,
ADC Memorial is reportedly able to act legally in the country.
18.
Mali
68.
Allegations of cases and trends of reprisals were included in the 2018 report of the
Secretary-General (A/HRC/39/41, para. 56 and Annex, paras. 73–76) regarding retaliation
by State actors and non-State armed groups against individuals who collaborated with the
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Individuals and
organizations affected by intimidation and reprisals in the reporting period did not give
consent to be named due to the fear of further reprisals. In January 2019, the Independent
Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, reported that the number of verified serious
violations of children’s rights had significantly increased but that many were underreported
for several reasons, including the difficulty of verification and access to some geographical
areas, fear of reprisals, and the lack of protection and other services for victims and
witnesses (A/HRC/40/77, para. 53).
19.
Mexico
69. The 2018 (A/HRC/39/41, Annex II, paras. 33–36) and 2017 (A/HRC/36/31, para. 41,
and Annex I, paras. 49–52) reports of the Secretary-General included alleged acts of
reprisals against the complainants in the case Ramirez et al. v. Mexico (2015) where the
Committee against Torture found a violation of different provisions of the Convention
against Torture (CAT/C/55/D/500/2012). In 2017 and 2018, the CAT requested protective
measures in relation to the allegations of reprisals and made several attempts to follow up
on the case with the Government.143
70.
On 30 January 2019, the State party informed the Committee that criminal
investigations were reopened to bring the perpetrators to justice but no significant progress
in establishing accountability had been achieved. There has been no further update on the
two victims that were sent back to prison shortly after their release, who are reportedly
experiencing serious health issues as a result of their alleged torture and conditions of
detention. The State party’s submission does not contain any update on access to medical
treatment required by the victims, including one that reportedly has hearing loss as a result
of torture. Complaints have been filed with the State Human Rights Commission. The
Committee decided to keep the follow-up dialogue open (CAT/C/66/3, paras. 12–14).
20.
Morocco
71.
The detention of Mr. Rachid Ghribi Laroussi was found arbitrary by the Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2015 (A/HRC/WGAD/2015/34, para. 29, 31). According
to information received, Mr. Laroussi’s family sent the 2015 Opinion of the Working
Group to the Ministry of Justice and to the National Human Rights Council (Conseil
National des Droits de l’Homme – CNDH), following which, in August 2016, Mr. Laroussi
was transferred from Tangiers, where his family lives, to a prison in Fes (approximately
300km away). He was placed in solitary confinement and prevented from continuing his
legal studies. It is reported that Mr. Laroussi keeps a copy of the Opinion in Arabic in his
cell and that his insistence in requesting his release has played a part in the decisions to
transfer him.
72.
On 8 April 2019, Mr. Laroussi reportedly started a hunger strike to call the attention
of the authorities to the Working Group’s Opinion and, as a result, was put in solitary
confinement without light for four days. On 16 April 2019, the local branch of the CNDH
visited Mr. Laroussi and on 30 April 2019 he was transferred again, without any prior
143
CAT/C/63/3, paras. 7–8 and CAT/C/65/3, paras. 10–11.
57