A/HRC/60/62 the capture of images or videos of representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations present in the room and urged full compliance with this policy throughout the dialogue.59 153. In its concluding observations of 20 August 2024, the Committee addressed the case of Mr. Velásquez and noted that, on 3 August 2024, Mr. Velásquez was detained for several hours at Caracas airport, while en route to Geneva to participate in the review and that his passport, along with those of other human rights defenders, had been cancelled (CERD/C/VEN/CO/22-24, para 6). 60 The Committee expressed broader concern about reports of intimidation and reprisals against human rights defenders and civil society representatives and the chilling effect such actions had on their participation in meetings with the Committee.61 The Committee urged the State party to act with due diligence and take effective measures to prevent all acts of harassment, intimidation, and threats directed at human rights defenders and civil society representatives for having cooperated with the Committee, and to conduct thorough investigations into such allegations. The Committee requested the State party to provide detailed information, by 20 August 2025, on the investigations into the allegations of Mr. Velásquez’s arbitrary detention, as part of its follow-up procedure. (CERD/C/VEN/CO/22-24, paras 6 and 7 (a-c)) 154. On 19 December 2024, special procedure mandate holders addressed Mr. Velásquez’s case and expressed concern over the alleged arbitrary cancellation of the passport of Mr. Yendri and of other human rights defenders (VEN 12/2024). 155. During the reporting period, Mr. Olnar Alberto Ortiz Bolívar, a member of the Baré Indigenous People and a human rights lawyer and defender, has reportedly been subjected to acts of intimidation and reprisals, including threats, in connection with his participation in the twenty-third session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Mr. Ortiz is currently benefitting from protective measures granted by the Inter-American commission on Human Rights, pursuant to Resolution Nr. 181/19, which was updated in November 2024 under Resolution Nr. 143/13.62 156. During the twenty-third session of the UNPFII, Mr. Ortiz made public statements on at least three occasions, including during the plenary session. In his interventions, he presented his analysis on the human rights situation of Indigenous Peoples and human rights defenders in Venezuela. Reportedly, his statements received coverage in local media outlets in Venezuela. Following his first intervention on 17 April 2024, Mr. Ortiz was allegedly approached in the plenary by a representative of the official delegation of Venezuela to the UNPFII, who said “Always you. You know what happens to the toads (snitches)”. In the hours and days that followed, Mr. Ortiz reportedly received text messages from an unidentified number, warning him to be cautious and indicating that his statements at the Forum had come to the attention of the authorities in Caracas. 157. In its 2024 annual report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Forum expressed concern over the intimidation of Indigenous leaders and human rights defenders for their participation in that year’s session of the Forum (E/2024/43, para 55). 158. In a separate incident, OHCHR documented the intimidation of several individuals and organizations for their cooperation with the United Nations, including its human rights mechanisms. Names and details of those concerned are withheld due to fear of further reprisals. 23. Viet Nam 159. On 14 June 2024, special procedure mandate holders raised concerns about reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations in relation to the listing of Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ) as a terrorist organization and the trial, conviction and sentencing in absentia 59 https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1l/k1ltexazn5, 54:10. Case – Venezuela (Mr. Yendri Velásquez), CERD 113th session 5-24 August 2024) CERD/C/VEN/CO/22-24. 61 CERD/C/VEN/CO/22-24, para 6. 62 https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/mc/2024/res_92-24_mc_143-13%20y%20181-19_ve_es.pdf; https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/pdf/2019/7-19mc181-19-ve.pdf. 60 40