A/56/253 exceptional when compared with the practice of other nations, and are fully in line with international human rights instruments. “Situation of the Karmapa and clarifications “Fifteen-year-old Urgyen Trinley Dorje was ordained seventeenth Gyalwa Karmapa at a quiet ceremony in the Chub monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, in September 1992, with the approval of the Ministry for Religious Affairs. “Urgyen Trinley Dorje, the seventeenth living Buddha of the Karmapa order, left the Chub monastery in December 1999 with a small group of followers, leaving behind a letter in which he explained that he was going abroad to secure the traditional ‘Black hat’ and sacred attributes of the living Buddha: ‘In acting thus, I betray neither my country nor my people, nor my monastery nor its great priests’. “Freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right of the Chinese people. The Constitution clearly stipulates that ‘Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No State organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion’. In regions containing national minorities, such as Tibet, the Government of China is especially concerned to protect religious beliefs and traditional culture. Currently, Tibet is home to more than 1,700 monasteries, temples and sacred sites. More than 46,000 monks and nuns attend to a variety of religious activities, and each year, major religious festivals are celebrated. It is preposterous to claim that the Karmapa left Tibet as a result of restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities in religious matters.” 9. With regard to a second communication (paras. 24 and 26), China replied: “The case of Jiang Surang “Jiang Sunian is actually Jiang Surang, a 31-year-old male from Cangnan County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. While Jiang is indeed a Catholic, he is not a priest. During the second half of 1997, he engaged in fraudulent activities which netted him some 120,000 yuan renminbi. On 5 April 2000, in accordance with article 12, section 1, and article 225 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Cangnan County People’s Court sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment for fraudulent activities. “Freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right of the Chinese people. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China clearly stipulates that ‘Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No State organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion’. Similar provisions protecting religious freedom and prohibiting any discrimination against citizens whether or not they are believers are contained in criminal law, civil law, legislation governing 53