Case No Country Mandate(s) 30/05/2016 JAL IRN 14/2016 Iran (Islamic Republic of) Cultural rights; Islamic Republic of Iran; Religion or belief Alleged patterns of continuous discrimination against the Bahá’í community in Iran, inter alia, through the destruction of historical and religious sites. According to the information received, the Bahá’í population of Iran has experienced a long history of discrimination, which is undermining their human rights in the area of religion and culture. Since 1979, numerous sites of historical, cultural and religious significance, including cemeteries, have been seized, desecrated and destroyed. Despite the importance of these sites, no consultation process about the closure of some of these cemeteries involved the affected families and co-religionists. Efforts of the Bahá’ís to redress the destruction of their cultural heritage and bring the perpetrators to justice have been unsuccessful to date. The desecration of the Bahá’í cemetery in Shiraz was subject of two previous communications sent on 8 May 2014, see A/HRC/27/72, case no. IRN 8/2014; and on 20 August 2014, see A/HRC/28/85. 30/05/2016 JUA JPN 4/2016 Japan Freedom of opinion and expression; Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Human rights defenders Allegations on acts of intimidation and reprisal against a human rights defender for facilitating the contacts of the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression with civil society during his visit to Japan from 12 to 19 April, 2016. According to the information received, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary ordered the surveillance of Ms. Kazuko Ito, secretary-general of Human Rights Now, ahead of the country visit to Japan by the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Concern is expressed at the allegations of surveillance of Ms. Ito for facilitating the organization of meetings of the Special Rapporteur with civil society, which would amount to an act of intimidation and reprisal for her cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights. Summary of the allegation transmitted Reply 16/06/2016 A/HRC/33/32 96 Date Type