A/HRC/7/14 Page 6 opinion and expression in a given country. The Special Rapporteur may also decide to take initiative motu proprio on issues of general concern that he considers relevant to his mandate. 6. The majority of cases received by the Special Rapporteur concern threats, aggressions, harassment, murder or other sorts of attacks on the physical and psychological integrity of journalists, students, human rights activists and unionists as retaliation for their exercise of their right to freedom of opinion and expression. In many cases, these attacks were linked to the repression of peaceful protests conducted to express disagreement with some governmental policy, at the national or local level, or with the actions of large corporations. While the extent of the repression, its duress and length may substantially vary, allegations received are not confined to countries where the political, social and economic situation is particularly difficult, but also concern violations occurring in transitional or longestablished democracies. 7. Analysis of communications also shows a large number of cases of prosecution or imprisonment of media professionals or ordinary citizens on charges of defamation, libel and slander, despite the decriminalization of these offenses by some countries. Another important trend in many regions has been the adoption of legislation that unduly limits freedom of expression by fostering State interference in editorial independence; by creating subjective licensing procedures that are used to shut down media outlets; by restricting the ability of journalists, particularly foreign correspondents, to perform their work freely; and by imposing severe limitations on the operation, including funding, of civil society organizations. 8. From 1 January to 4 December 2007, the Special Rapporteur sent 241 communications: 114 urgent appeals, 89 of which were signed jointly with other special procedures mandate-holders, and 127 allegation letters, 55 of which were co-signed with other mandates. These communications referred to the situation of 596 individuals. The geographical division of the communications was as follows: 31.5 per cent in Asia and the Pacific; 20.7 per cent in Africa; 18.2 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean; 17 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa; and 12.4 per cent in Europe, North America and Central Asia.