A/69/266 violations of human rights — sometimes by the State itself — threaten the very existence of religious minorities in some States or territories. The international community should pay particular attention to States in which violence has been targeted against certain population groups with impunity. 30. Caught between warring factions, minorities in Iraq have been the targets of violence for more than a decade. In 2014, the targeting of minorities has continued and intensified under the so-called Islamic State which took control of much o f the country. The Special Rapporteur, along with another United Nations expert, issued a press release in July 2014, 14 in which she expressed her grave concern about the physical safety of several minority groups in Iraq, including Christians, Shia, Shabaks, Turkmen and Yazidis, who were being persecuted on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity. She urged the Iraqi Government and the international community to do their utmost to protect vulnerable civilians and minorities. 31. In some cases, violence or the threat of violence against certain stigmatized minority communities is common and almost socially accepted. Despite legislation in India (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, adopted in 1989) which bans caste-based discrimination, violence against Dalits remains widespread and their access to justice poor. In May 2013, the Special Rapporteur, along with other United Nations experts, noted that caste -based discrimination remained widespread and deeply rooted, that its victims faced violence, structural discrimination, marginalization and systematic exclusion and that the level of impunity was very high. 15 E. Denial or deprivation of citizenship 32. As highlighted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the former Independent Expert on minority issues (A/HRC/7/23, para. 20), denial or deprivation of citizenship and statelessness affects some 15 million people in 49 countries, particularly those belonging to minority groups. Statelessness makes minorities highly vulnerable, with weak protection provided by State authorities who do not recognize them as citizens whose rights must be protected by the State. In some cases, States actively desire their expulsion, which may result in a minimal response to violence against them by other actors, or in State-sponsored persecution with the intent of removing an unwanted minority. 33. In October 2012, the Special Rapporteur and other independent U nited Nations experts expressed deep concern over continuing intercommunal violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar, resulting in killings, destruction of homes and mass displacement of mostly Rohingya Muslims. 16 They called on the Government to urgently address the underlying causes of the conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim communities, which included the denial of citizenship to Rohingya. They stressed that the situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community, and expressed deep concern about the assertion of the Government that Rohingya were illegal immigrants and stateless persons. __________________ 14 15 16 10/24 www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14904&LangID=E. www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13352&LangID=E. www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12716&LangID=E. 14-58850