A/HRC/43/51/Add.3 78. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the increased restrictions on the scope of activities, which NGOs are permitted to carry out. He acknowledges the Government’s commitment to enhancing effective service delivery, but he would like to stress that NGOs responding to varying developmental and humanitarian demands must be afforded sufficient flexibility to carry out their work as they see most effective, which includes operating in multiple sectors to ensure that all Sierra Leoneans may benefit and have their rights protected. South Sudan 79. JAL 27/02/2019 Case no: SSD 1/2019 State reply: none to date Alleged arrest, arbitrary detention and investigation of Mr. Peter Biar Ajak. 80. PR 06/03/2019 South Sudan: UN experts strongly urge immediate release of human rights defender Peter Biar Ajak Sudan 81. JUA 15/02/2019 Case no: SDN 1/2019 State reply: 20/02/2019 Allegations concerning the excessive use of force by security forces and crackdown against protestors, human rights defenders and journalists in Sudan. 82. PR 11/04/2019 Sudan: UN experts condemn excessive use of force at protests 83. PR 12/06/2019 Sudan: UN human rights experts call for independent investigation into violations 84. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Sudan for the prompt reply to his communication dated 15 February 2019. 85. The Special Rapporteur reiterates serious concern over the violent repression of protests across various cities in Sudan during December 2018, especially with regards to the use of live ammunition causing a number of deaths and injuries. He is further concerned about the arrests, detentions and allegations of torture of a large number of individuals, including political opponents and journalists, in connection to their mere exercise of their rights to peaceful assembly and expression. 86. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the formation of various investigative bodies and the launching of criminal investigations in response to the abovementioned allegations but regrets that the Government’s response did not include any details on the progress in the investigations. He invites the Government to provide updated information on the efforts aimed at bringing the perpetrators to justice. 87. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the release of all detained journalists but regrets that the Government failed to provide information on the steps taken to investigate the allegations of harassment against them and to provide any necessary protection to them. He further regrets that the Government’s response did not include specific information about the reasons for using fired tear gas and live ammunition inside hospitals or to explain how this is compatible with international human rights law. 88. Furthermore, the Government noted in its response that the protesters did not request a permit to hold demonstrations, as required by the 2005 Transitional Constitution of the Sudan and the Code of Criminal Procedure. In this context, the Special Rapporteur would like to recall the duties of the State under the ICCPR art. 21 in conjunction with art. 2. The exercise of the right to peaceful assembly should not be subject to prior authorization by the authorities. Authorities should at most have a system of notification, provided that the system 16