Date Type Case No Country Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted Reply BGD 11/2013 29/10/2013 Bangladesh JAL Freedom of expression; Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Human rights defenders; 31/10/2013 Alleged lack of compliance of the amended Information and Communication Technology Act with international human rights standards. According to the information received, the amended Information and Communication Act of 2013, passed by Parliament on 6 October 2013, imposed severe and disproportionate penalties on persons charged with writing or publishing fake or defaming information online. The new Act could impose up to 14-years’ imprisonment and give law enforcement officials the power to arrest suspected offenders without obtaining a warrant and hold them in detention for an indefinite period without bail. This is allegedly seen as an attempt to silence dissenting voices. GTM 9/2013 30/10/2013 Guatemala JUA Human rights defenders; Independence of judges and lawyers; Truth, justice, reparation & guarantees on non-rec; Presuntas amenazas de muerte e intimidaciones contra una jueza en Guatemala. Según 06/01/2014 las informaciones recibidas, la Sra. Yassmin Barrios, Presidenta del Tribunal que juzgó durante 2013 un caso por delitos de genocidio y de lesa humanidad, habría recibido amenazas de muerte e intimidaciones que pudieran poner en riesgo su vida y su integridad física y mental. La jueza habría recibido una llamada del extranjero en la que se le comunicaba un plan para asesinarla. La Jueza Barrios presidió el tribunal que llevó a cabo el juicio contra el ex jefe de Estado, Efraín Ríos Montt, y el ex jefe de inteligencia, José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, por genocidio y crímenes de lesa humanidad, el cual se desarrolló entre el 19 de marzo y el 10 de mayo de 2013. La patrulla asignada para vigilar su residencia habría sido retirada en varias ocasiones sin justificación, dejándola sin protección adecuada. El 28 de junio de 2013, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos otorgó medidas cautelares a favor de la Jueza Barrios. KAZ 6/2013 30/10/2013 Kazakhstan JUA Disappearances; Freedom of expression; 06/12/2013 Alleged disappearance of a poet while in detention. According to the information received, Mr Aron Atabek (also referred to as Mr Aron Edigeev) who had been held in solitary confinement in Arkalyk Prison since December 2012 disappeared in early October 2013. It was reported that he was transferred to Karazhal Prison on 5 October 2013. Although the authorities did not confirm this information, his family received an anonymous phone call informing them of the transfer. At the time of writing, Mr Atabek’s whereabouts remained unknown. Mr Atabek was sentenced to two years in solitary confinement for writing the book “The Heart of Eurasia” highly critical of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Government of Khazakhstan. A/HRC/25/74 113