A/HRC/44/50/Add.4 expression and their family ties with Mr. Cheng. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government for its reply dated 23 December 2019, in which the Government provided assurances that the arrests and detention had been carried out in conformity with the relevant laws, and that Messrs. Cheng Yuan, Liu Dazhi and Wu Gejianxiong were in good health. The Special Rapporteur nonetheless regrets that the Government’s reply failed to address most of the questions posed in the letter of allegation and renews his concerns. 85. In the communication IRN 4/2020 sent to the Government of Iran on 5 March 2020, the Special Rapporteur expressed preoccupation in regard to alleged attacks, harassment and serious threats made against staff members of the BBC Persian Service and the BBC World Service by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The alleged harassment and threats reportedly stem from the BBC Persian Service’s coverage of the November 2019 protests in Iran, including the extent of casualties caused by Iranian security forces in response to the protests. The Special Rapporteur called on the Government to take all necessary measures to put an end to repeated threats and harassment against journalists living abroad and their families living in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Special Rapporteur look forward to receiving a reply to this communication. 86. In communication 11/2019 sent on 21 August 2019, the Special Rapporteur expressed his concerns regarding the arrest of and charges against Mr. Mohammad Rasoulof, an awardwining Iranian filmmaker. On 20 July 2019, Mr. Rasoulof was sentenced to one year in prison and was banned from “membership in political and social parties and organizations” for two years under the charge of “propaganda against the state”. The sentencing followed extensive interrogation of Mr. Rasoulof. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government for its reply dated 3 December 2019, assuring that due process was followed and informing that Mr. Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to two years of imprisonment on the charge of “launching a vicious propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran” as well as a two-year ban on exiting the country and in joining political parties or entities. The Special Rapporteur renews his concern at the possible infringement upon the legitimate exercise of Mr. Rasoulof’s rights to freedom of opinion, expression and association, including through the use of criminal law sanctions. 87. In the communication addressed to the Government of the Philippines (PHL 7/2019) dated 26 December 2019, the Special Rapporteur expressed grave concerns regarding the arrests of at least 62 individuals following raids at the offices of several civil society organisations, as well as the houses of their members, on 31 October and 1 November 2019. They also expressed their grave concerns at the alleged abduction of human rights defender Ms. Honey Mae Suazo and threats against the human rights defender Ms. Cristina Palabay. The Special Rapporteur remains concerned at the statements made by high-level officials threatening human rights organisations and accusing them of having ties with the communist movement. Such statements reflect a worrying broader trend in the Philippines of so-called “red-tagging” of, for example, human rights defenders, journalists, rural communities and legitimate organizations, perceived as threats or enemies of the State, as having links to communists groups. The Special Rapporteur fears that such statements, combined with actions such as the raids on NGOs mentioned above, may have a chilling effect on the legitimate work of human rights defenders in the country and the right to freedom of association. The Special Rapporteur regrets the absence of response from the Government, all the more so in view of the grave nature of the allegations. 88. In the joint communication PHL 1/2020, the Special Rapporteur expressed his grave concerns regarding the alleged killings of human rights defenders Mr. Ryan Hubilla and Ms. Nelly Bagasala as well as the alleged threats, arbitrary detention and legal cases brought against other human rights defenders from the organisations Karapatan, Gabriela and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines which work on issues including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The individuals concerned include Ms. Elisa Tita Lubi, Ms. Cristina Palabay, Mr. Reylan Vergara, Mr. Roneo Clamor, Ms. Kiri Dalena, Dr. Edita Burgos, Fr. Wilfredo Ruazol, and Mr. Jose Mari Callueng, Sr. Elenita Belardo, Sr. Emma Cupin, Ms. Gertrudes Libang, Ms. Joan May Salvador, Ms. Jennefer Aguhob and Mr. Alexander Philip Abinguna. The Special Rapporteur is also gravely concerned that the alleged acts reported in the communication appear to have been in retaliation for their human rights activities including their engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and that, despite repeated 19