A/HRC/27/70 Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The appeal concerned the dispersal of a peaceful protest of about 30 individuals on 20 September 2013 and the brutal repression of a group of 25 individuals on 22 September 2013, including women and children, by law enforcement officials. At least 10 people suffered injury. Concerns were expressed that the dispersal of those protests by law enforcement officials infringed to the exercise by protestors of their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of opinion and expression. 29. Another joint urgent appeal was sent on 1 October 2013 with the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The communication addressed the death of Mao Sok Chan and the arrest of at least six individuals on the margins of protests held by CNRP, starting on 15 September 2013, in Phnom Penh. On the evening of 15 September, at the Kbal Thnal Skybridge, a group of rioters opposed police forces, resulting in major clashes. Security forces fired smoke grenades and live ammunition into the crowd. Mao Sok Chan, a bystander returning home from work, was shot and died on the scene. Nine persons were seriously injured. Several individuals, including teenagers, were beaten severely with truncheons by security forces. Subsequently, at least six persons were beaten and arrested, five of whom were allegedly coerced into confessing to participation in the riots. Grave concerns were expressed about the alleged indiscriminate and excessive use of lethal force against civilians, and the arrest and detention of the six individuals who reportedly did not take part in the incident. 30. On 17 February 2014, a joint allegation letter was sent with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The letter addressed the ban on demonstrations imposed on 4 January 2014, when hundreds of police and military officers cleared the demonstration facilities in Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, just before three days of demonstrations planned and announced by CNRP. 31. On 28 February 2014, an urgent appeal was sent jointly with the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The appeal drew attention to clashes between the security forces and the demonstrators who were calling for an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers which had resulted in at least four deaths3 and several injuries, and the arrest and detention of 23 individuals in protest activities in early January 2014. Concerns were expressed about the alleged indiscriminate and excessive use of force against the protestors, resulting in deaths and injuries, as well as their arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention. An investigation committee was reported to have been established, although concerns were expressed regarding the independence and legitimacy of the investigation. At the time of drafting, no results had been announced. Further 3 Since the date of the communication, as outlined above, a fifth man died as a result of his injuries from a beating by police at Veng Sreng on 3 January 2014. 9