E/CN.4/1988/45 page 23 45. With regard to the freedom to solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions, it is reported that, in Tibet, donations to Buddhist monasteries must be paid directly into a particular account and cannot be withdrawn or spent without the approval of an official body, the Office of Religious Affairs. 46. The freedom to train, elect or designate appropriate religious leaders is also subject to restrictions in some cases. For instance, it is reported that, in China, Buddhist monks in Tibet are designated by a Government Committee and bishops of the Catholic Church are appointed by the Chinese authorities, which do not recognize the Vatican hierarchy. 47. The Special Rapporteur has also been informed of infringements of the freedom to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or belief. In Czechoslovakia, for instance, the authorities allegedly obstructed the annual pilgramage to Levoca. 48. Lastly, the freedom to have communications in matters of religion and belief at the national and international levels also seems to be jeopardized in some cases, one illustration being the Czech priest whose contacts with members of religious orders and Polish Catholics formed the subject of charges against him by the authorities. 2. Discriminatory treatment on the grounds of religion or belief (arts. 2 and 3 of the Declaration) 49. In his initial report, the Special Rapporteur mentioned various areas in which intolerance and discrimination based on religion and belief, as defined in the Declaration, occur in practice. He observed that discrimination based on religion or belief was practised in respect both of civil and political rights and of economic, social and cultural rights. 50. Some recent examples demonstrate the persistence of infringements of the principle of non-discrimination on religious grounds. With regard to civil and political rights, for instance, one allegation concerning the sentencing to death of 10 Muslim preachers in Somalia (a sentence subsequently commuted to one of indefinite imprisonment) mentioned the fact that the persons convicted did not enjoy the necessary legal guarantees during their trial, having been unable to prepare their defence and to exercise the right of appeal. Other examples attest to discrimination in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. For instance, there are several allegations regarding discriminatory treatment against pupils of the Coptic faith in schools in Egypt while, in India, Christian converts who previously belonged to the "untouchable" category and who, ipso facto, should, according to the Constitution, benefit from "affirmative action" designed to place them on an equal footing with other citizens more favoured in the past are reportedly not benefiting from such measures. It is further alleged that the Ministry of National Education and Religion of Greece refused appointments in the State educational system to four primary and nursery school teachers professing a religion other than that of the Eastern Orthodox Church.