A/HRC/8/4 page 5 B. Country visits 9. At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Maldives, the Special Rapporteur visited that country from 25 February to 1 March. His report (A/HRC/4/25/Add.2) was presented to the Human Rights Council at its fifth session. Again at the invitation of the Government, he visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 15 to 21 April, and his report (A/HRC/4/25/Add.3) will be presented to the Council at its eighth session. He wishes to thank both Governments for having allowed him to make these visits. 10. The Special Rapporteur is planning a mission to the Russian Federation in May 2008 and thanks the Government for its kind invitation. He also hopes to visit Angola, Cambodia, Fiji, Guatemala, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines. He looks forward to receiving replies from those countries that have not yet authorized a visit; he is grateful to those Governments that have already confirmed their invitation and hopes that a suitable time for these visits will be arranged shortly. 11. In Fiji, the 2006 coup d’état caused a severe political and institutional crisis. Worrying allegations of human rights violations affecting the independence of the judiciary prompted the Special Rapporteur to ask to visit the country as soon as possible, first by letter on 18 June, followed by reminders on 14 November 2007 and 7 February 2008, then in the General Assembly and lastly in an approach to the country’s diplomatic representatives. He has not yet received a positive reply. It is also regrettable that leading jurists’ organizations, such as the International Bar Association (IBA) have not been allowed to visit the country. This mandate is a Human Rights Council special procedure, tasked with defending the independence of the judiciary; the Special Rapporteur’s visit will not affect any ongoing judicial proceedings, as the Government claims, and he therefore hopes to receive a positive reply. During visits to countries in similar situations, interviews were carried out with the highest national authorities, all sectors working in the area of justice and NGOs, and had a verifiable positive impact. In some cases, such as that of the Supreme Court of Ecuador, interviews of this kind have been adopted by the United Nations as “best practice”. C. Routine activities 12. These included consideration of a large number of communications concerning situations relevant to the mandate. This involved ongoing contact not only with the Secretariat and other special rapporteurs but also with many Governments, and the preparation of numerous urgent appeals, letters of allegation and press releases. This work is described in annex I of this report. II. STATES OF EMERGENCY AND THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL 13. A seminar on “The protection of human rights under states of emergency, particularly the right to a fair trial” was held on 3 and 4 December 2007 in Geneva. Convened at the initiative of the Special Rapporteur, who was also in the chair, the seminar was organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the International Commission of Jurists and brought together some 15 international and regional specialists.