A/HRC/30/29 15. Saudi Arabia 36. Samar Badawi, a human rights defender advocating for women’s rights and the release of her husband, Waleed Abu al-Khair, from prison, was the subject of a communication sent by a number of mandate holders on 6 January 2015 (A/HRC/29/50, case SAU 16/2014). On 16 September 2014, while Ms. Badawi was delivering her statement to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-seventh session, the delegation of Saudi Arabia made two points of order. Following her statement, Ms. Badawi reportedly received threats for having publicly raised the case of her husband before the Council. On 3 December, Ms. Badawi was reportedly prevented by security officials at King Abdulaziz International Airport from boarding a flight to Belgium to participate in a human rights forum, and was informed that a travel ban had been issued against her for an indefinite period (ibid.). In its reply of 13 May 2015, the Government stated that the allegations of reprisals were incorrect, that Ms. Badawi had been accused of having committed a number of criminal offences punishable by law and that the travel ban placed on her related to those charges (see A/HRC/30/27, case SAU 16/2014). 16. South Sudan 37. During the twenty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council, the President of the Council was informed of alleged reprisals against a civil society representative who planned to attend the session. On 13 March 2015, the President reported to the Bureau of the Council that he had met with the Permanent Representative of South Sudan in order to seek clarifications and that the State concerned had subsequently provided information on the current situation of the individual. The President stated that he would continue to follow the case, and reiterated his deep concern about cases of intimidation and reprisal against those seeking to engage with the United Nations in the field of human rights. 17. Syrian Arab Republic 38. On 21 November 2014, a number of mandate holders referred to allegations of reprisals against Jdei Nawfal, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Civil Rights in Syria, and Omar al-Shaar, a media activist and blogger (A/HRC/28/85, case SYR 8/2014). Both men participated in a workshop organized by the OHCHR Regional Office for the Middle East in Beirut from 28 to 30 October 2014. While returning to the Syrian Arab Republic on 31 October, Mr. Nawfal and Mr. Al-Shaar were reportedly arrested by Syrian security forces at the Lebanese-Syrian border crossing and detained in an office at the Syrian immigration post for approximately eight hours. They were then reportedly driven to the office of the Syrian State security intelligence agency in the area of Mazzeh, Rif Dimashq, after which their fate and whereabouts were reported as unknown (ibid). At the time of finalization of the present report, no response had been received from the Government. 18. Tajikistan 39. On 2 June 2014, a number of mandate holders referred to alleged acts of reprisal against Sadriddin Toshev, a detainee at Khujand prison, for having cooperated with the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment during his official visit to Tajikistan in May 2012 (A/HRC/28/85, case TJK 3/2014). On 5 November 2012, Mr. Toshev was reportedly beaten and tortured in front of approximately 40 other prisoners by prison officials at Khujand prison who explicitly referred to his interaction with the Special Rapporteur and the United Nations more generally. Mr. Toshev was afterwards reportedly charged with fraud for deliberately inflicting wounds on his body with the aim of discrediting prison officials and for the distribution of false information, tried in closed court proceedings by the Khujand city court and, in October 2013, sentenced to nine years of imprisonment. On 25 January 2014, the 13