E/CN.4/2005/61 page 14 A. Human rights violations committed because of religion or belief 36. A majority of the cases and situations that have been brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur and that reveal a violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief also involve violations of other human rights, including violations of the right to life, the right not to be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to liberty and security of the person, the right to freedom of movement, residence, nationality, peaceful assembly and association, and the right to freedom of opinion or expression. 37. This aspect has been reflected in the majority of the communications sent during the period under review. In particular, the Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize the situations prevailing in countries such as China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam, where various human rights violations are committed on religious grounds. 38. The Special Rapporteur has received a significant number of allegations of human rights violations concerning members of certain Christian minorities such as Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Baptist Church. Nevertheless, she underlines that some religious minorities, while being subjected to similar kinds of treatment, may not benefit from the support of an organization that would enable them to properly report on human rights violations. Other religious minorities, communities of belief or groups that may fall within the purview of her mandate, such as the Ahmadiyyas, the Baha’is, or the Falun Gong, have continued to be targeted because of their beliefs and little progress has been made regarding their situation. 39. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that in the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001, reports of violations of civil and political rights of individuals of Muslim faith and of Muslim communities have increased. In different places, governmental actions and policies undermine their protection and sometimes such individuals or groups are specifically targeted. 40. There are indications of greater vulnerability of religious minorities in all parts of the world. At the same time, there are reports of militant backlash by religious minorities abusing the basic rights of other minorities as well as of ordinary citizens. The Special Rapporteur has the impression that religious intolerance continues to increase and therefore urges the international community to pay greater attention to the question of freedom of religion or belief, especially in those cases where multiple human rights violations are committed because of the religion or the belief of the victims. B. Interreligious violence and non-State actors 41. On the basis of the information submitted to her, the Special Rapporteur notes that in a number of countries violations of freedom of religion or belief are due to interreligious tensions or conflicts or to situations where one religion is predominant and does not tolerate the presence of religious minorities. Whether the acts committed in these situations constitute violations of freedom of religion or belief only, or are also other forms of human rights violations, their perpetrators are often non-State actors even if, in many cases, State authorities have been implicated to varying degrees.