Case No Country Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted Reply 18/01/11 SYR 1/2011 JUA Syrian Arab Republic Arbitrary detention; Independence of judges and lawyers Alleged arbitrary detention. According to the information received, Mr. Ziad Wasef Ramadan was detained for over five years without any charge, trial or even being presented before a judge. He was to be presented before the State Security Supreme Court on 17 January 2011. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered, in its Opinion No. 24/2010, that Mr. Ramadan's detention was arbitrary. Allegedly, Mr. Ramadan's lawyers were not been authorized to see him, and his family had only very brief contact with him. 19/01/11 CHN 1/2011 JUA China Freedom of expression; Human rights defenders Alleged harassment against a housing rights activist and lawyer. According to the 22/03/11 information received, on 16 June 2010, Ms. Ni Yulan was detained in a police station. Subsequently, she and her husband were taken to the Yu Xin Gong Hotel. The police allegedly ordered the hotel management to cut the power and water supply to Ms. Yulan´s room and disconnect the phone and internet. The couple had allegedly been frequently exposed to verbal harassment and been kept under close police surveillance. Ms. Yulan is confined to a wheelchair reportedly as a result of the torture she suffered in the hands of the police in 2002 when she was arrested for having attempted to film a forced demolition. She was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison. Her licence to practice law was permanently revoked. In 2008 Ms. Yulan was again detained and severely beaten. The remains of her home were demolished and her belongings looted. She was brought before the court and was sentenced to two years in prison. Ms. Yulan was the subject of an earlier communication (see A/HRC/10/12/Add.1, para 609). 19/01/11 CIV 1/2011 AL Côte d’Ivoire Mercenaries Allégation de recrutement de mercenaires. Selon les informations reçues, depuis les élections du 28 novembre 2010, des affrontements ont eu lieu dans le pays et notamment dans la capitale. Des mercenaires libériens auraient participé à ces affrontements dans les rues d’Abidjan et auraient été recrutés pour s’attaquer à certains groupes dans la population. Selon certaines sources, les Forces de Défense et de Sécurité (FDS) auraient mené une campagne de harcèlement contre les partisans du Rassemblement des Houphouétistes pour la Démocratie et la Paix (RHDP) et des mercenaires auraient été aperçus parmi les rangs des FDS. A/HRC/18/51 34 Date Type