Date Type 17/01/2013 JAL 18/01/2013 JAL Case No Country Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted SDN 1/2013 Sudan Freedom of expression; Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Human rights defenders; Sudan; Alleged arbitrary closure of several human rights associations. According to the information received, on 24 December 2012, the Sudanese Studies Centre (SSC), a prominent human rights association, was ordered by the authorities to close down for one year. On 31 December, Mr. Abdalla Abu Alrish, Executive Director of the SSC, was summoned and interrogated by NISS. On the same day, two other organizations, the ARRY Organisation for Human Rights and Development and the Al Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development, were also closed down by the authorities. On the same day, the security services reportedly ordered the Cultural Forum for Literary Criticism to cease all of its activities, and interrogated Ms. Zeinab Belil, chairwoman of the Forum. It is reported that demonstrations took place on 30 December 2012 and 6 January 2013 to denounce the allegedly arbitrary NGO closures, but were met with excessive use of force. These measures reportedly form part of an on-going campaign aimed at intimidating and silencing independent civil society actors. In this context, a presidential decree establishing a committee to examine demands of foreign NGOs to work in Sudan was issued on 25 December 2012. AZE 1/2013 Azerbaijan Freedom of expression; Human rights defenders; Torture; Allegations concerning the physical and psychological integrity of a human rights defender in pre-trial detention. According to the information received, since 22 June 2012, Mr. Hilal Mammadov had been in pre-trial detention under charges of, inter alia, treason and incitement to national, racial or religious hostility. It is reported that in November 2012, Mr. Mammadov was beaten and injured by his cell mate who allegedly suffered from a serious mental disease. It is also reported that, in November 2012, the courts rejected a complaint filed by Mr. Mammadov denouncing acts of torture and ill-treatment he allegedly suffered during his arrest, acts which were reportedly supported by a forensic examination. Mr. Mammadov has been a leader of Azerbaijan‘s ethnic Talysh minority and had shortly before his arrest become editor of the newspaper Tolishi Sado (Talysh Voice), the only newspaper published in the Talysh minority language of southern Azerbaijan. Reply 20/03/2013 A/HRC/23/51 47