A/HRC/14/26 9. The Special Rapporteur recalls that the following country visit requests are pending: Angola (requested in 2008); Bangladesh (2007); Cambodia (2006); Cuba (1995); Egypt (1999); Equatorial Guinea (2002); Fiji (2007); Iran (Islamic Republic of) (2006); Iraq (2008); Kenya (2000); Myanmar (2009); Nigeria (1995); Pakistan (2000); Philippines (2006); Sri Lanka (1999); Tunisia (1997); Turkmenistan (1996); Uzbekistan (1996) and Zimbabwe (2001). 10. During the first quarter of 2010, the Special Rapporteur sent reminders to Fiji and Kenya. She has also sent new requests for country visits to Bulgaria, Burundi, GuineaBissau, Liberia, Mozambique and Romania. C. Press statements 11. On 5 October 2009, the Special Rapporteur issued a press statement on the lack of transparency in the elections of the Supreme Court of Guatemala noting her disappointment that the recommendations made by her predecessor, Leandro Despouy, had not been taken into account.1 12. On 16 December 2009, the Special Rapporteur and the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders expressed their deep concern about the arrest of a judge in Venezuela. The judge was immediately arrested after having ordered the conditional release pending trial of a detainee whose detention had been declared arbitrary by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 1 September 2009, on the basis of serious violations of the right to fair trial. In spite of the appeal of the special procedures mandate holders, the Venezuelan judge continues to be held in an ordinary prison, alongside inmates convicted by her. 13. On 10 December 2009, on the occasion of the sixty-first anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and together with other special procedures mandate holders, the Special Rapporteur issued a joint statement calling for stronger global commitments and more determined action to defeat discrimination. 14. On 8 March, the Special Rapporteur issued, jointly with other special procedures mandate holders, a press statement on International Women’s Day calling for a new vision of women’s rights informed by the lessons learned from the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. D. Other activities 15. A summary of communications sent to various Governments and the responses received for the reporting period is contained in addendum 1 to this report. 16. The Special Rapporteur was one of a group of seven independent experts invited by the Human Rights Council, in its resolution 10/33, to submit a report with recommendations on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The report (A/HRC/13/56) was presented to the thirteenth session of the Human Rights Council. 1 GE.10-12622 See http://www.oacnudh.org.gt/documentos/comunicados/20097211239370.ComunicadoRelator Despouy(21jul2009)%20(3).pdf. 5