A/HRC/39/41 68/2017 concluding that the detention and subsequent internment of Mr. Seepersad in St. Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital on 8 January 2015 for a period of two months, and on 4 May 2016 for 16 days, were arbitrary without any legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty, and was made purely on the basis of his physical impairment, constituting a violation of international law on the grounds of discrimination based on disability (see A/HRC/WGAD/2017/68, paras. 34-35). 109. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed its most serious concern at allegations of reprisals, such as persistent harassment, intimidation and threats which Mr. Seepersad has been subjected to, for bringing his claims to their attention. The Working Group requested the Government to ensure that all acts of intimidation against Mr. Seepersad cease and that an impartial and effective investigation is carried out in relation to such acts and those responsible brought to justice. The Working Group recommended that the Government remedy the situation and provide compensation to Mr. Seepersad, and referred the case for further action to the focal point on reprisals of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures and to the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights (see A/HRC/WGAD/2017/68, paras. 34-35, 37-39, 41). 110. On 6 September 2017, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention transmitted the allegations to the Government under its regular communications procedure. The Working Group did not receive a response from the Government nor request for an extension of the time limit for its reply. It is reported that Mr. Seepersad still remains under pressure to dissuade him from engaging with regional or United Nations mechanisms to seek a legal remedy. 27. Turkey 111. Information was received that on 20 August 2017, the web pages administrated by the Housing and Land Rights Network of Habitat International Coalition (HIC-HLRN), suffered a series of alleged cyber-attacks over two weeks, which were repeated on 25 September 2017 for two days and on 16 April 2018. The attacks disabled its websites www.hic-mena.org and www.hlrn.org for two weeks, and obliged the organization to deploy exceptional human and financial resources for two months in order to ensure the web pages’ security and data protection. The Network believe that the cyber-attacks were a reprisal following the publicity of their report at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), which took place in Quito, Ecuador, October 2016. 112. In October 2016, when HIC-HLRN presented a report “Turkey: Forced Eviction and Urban Transformation as a Tool of War” at Habitat III, it is alleged that the Turkish delegation scolded HIC-HLRN officers. The report was also distributed to numerous United Nations special procedures and to OHCHR. 113. The origins of the attacks are unknown. The first attack to the HIC-HLRN web page was reportedly perpetrated by a hacking group self-identified as Yarma Security Team and the second attack to their Middle East/North Africa website was perpetrated by an unknown hacker. The second cyber-attack displayed a political message in the hacked frontal page reading “Hayali Kürdistan Olanın Mekanı Kabristan Olur” (The Imaginary Place Kurdistan becomes a Cemetery). HIC-HLRN had been monitoring the expropriations, evictions and demolitions taking place in Diyarbakır, in the Kurdish region of southeast Turkey. 114. Mr. Kursat Çevik, a Turkish police superintendent, was the subject of an opinion adopted on 16 June 2017 by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Mr. Çevik was arrested, together with 15 of his colleagues, on 21 July 2016. He is allegedly suspected of being a member of a terrorist organization (the Gülen movement) and of treason, and is classified as an opponent to the Justice and Development Party. However, Mr. Çevik is being held in secret, without a confirmed charge, and his lawyer does not have access to his file. The Working Group noted in its opinion that it considered his detention to be arbitrary as it had not received convincing information that Mr. Çevik was informed of the charges against him after his arrest, nor was he informed promptly after the judicial order that justified his detention, was issued (see A/HRC/WGAD/2017/38, para. 73-76). 38 GE.18-13325