A/HRC/41/41/Add.1 Saudi Arabia 100. JUA Case no: SAU 13/2018 (Saudi Arabia), sent on 11 October 2018, replies received on 21 November 2018 (acknowledgement of receipt) and 11 January 2019. Allegations concerning Mr. Ali al-Nimr, Mr. Dawood al-Marhoon, Mr. Abdullah al-Zaher, Mr. Mujtaba al-Sweikat, Mr. Salman Qureish and Mr. Abdulkarim al-Hawaj (a total of 6 individuals), who face imminent execution as a result of the criminalisation of the exercise of fundamental rights exercised when they were under the age of 18. Tunisia 101. JAL Case no: TUN 4/2018 (Tunisia), sent on 7 January 2019, reply received on 15 March 2019. Informations reçues concernant des entraves observées lors de la procédure d’enregistrement de l’organisation Shams, ainsi que le harcèlement et les menaces dont seraient victimes les membres de cette organisation. 102. JAL Case no: TUN 2/2019 (Tunisia), sent on 28 February 2019, reply received on 15 March 2019. Informations reçues concernant des tentatives d’entrave à l’exercice de la liberté d’association de l’association Shams. Responses to communications 103. During the present reporting period, the Special Rapporteur sent 19 communications to 9 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, receiving responses to 8 of them. The response rate for the region was 42 per cent, a slight decrease from the response rate noted in the previous reporting period. The Special Rapporteur encourages States to continue their engagement with his mandate and looks forward to receiving responses to the other communications in the near future. Freedom of peaceful assembly 104. In the Middle East and North Africa region, the Special Rapporteur sent communications regarding freedom of assembly to Egypt (2), Israel (2) and Saudi Arabia, among others during the reporting period. He thanks the Governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia for their replies dated 25 October 2018, and 21 November 2018 and 11 January 2019 respectively and looks forward to receiving a response to the communication sent to the Government of Egypt on 20 March 2019. The Special Rapporteur hopes to receive replies to communications sent to the Government of Israel soon. 105. The Special Rapporteur notes with concern the case of transgender woman and LGBTIQ human rights defender Ms. Malak Al-Kashif, who was arrested on 6 March 2019 by National Security forces (EGY 4/2019). It is alleged that Ms. Al-Kashif was arrested in connection with her calls for protests following the Ramses Station train accident in Cairo, which occurred on 27 February 2019. After being interrogated, Ms. Al-Kashif was held by authorities in an unknown location for three consecutive days, and, on 10 March 2019, she was allegedly referred to a hospital for a medical examination, which included a coercive anal examination. Ms. Al-Khashif faces charges of “aiding a terrorist organisation” and “misusing social media to commit a crime punishable by law with the intention of disrupting public order”. According to allegations received, Ms. Al-Khashif’s case is not alone in this regard, and indeed over 60 cases of arbitrary arrest have occurred in relation to peaceful protests over the incident. Those arrested also face the same charges as Ms. AlKhashif. The Special Rapporteur stresses that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be guaranteed by the Government of Egypt, and an expression of collective will calling for solidarity and accountability should not be criminalised. He notes that public order offences are often used in order to criminalise assemblies and the Special Rapporteur urges the Government to Egypt to ensure that they are not used to prosecute people for the legitimate expression of their rights. 106. The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern over the introduction of a draft law, approved by the Egyptian House of Representatives, which would grant amnesty to certain high-ranking military officers (EGY 12/2018). The “Law Governing the Treatment of 20