A/55/280/Add.1 Community Estimated numbers Percentage* Armenian 93,500 64 Jewish 26,114 18 3,270 2.5 Syriac 17,194 12 Others 5,628 Greek Orthodox Assyro-Chaldean 0.43 Bulgarian 0.34 Catholic 0.04 Arab Orthodox Total 2.5 145,706 100 * Of all minorities listed below. 7. Non-governmental sources provided the following data. It should be noted that the last census of religious affiliation and ethnic identity dates from 1965: (a) 99 per cent Muslim, of whom 80 per cent are Sunni and 20 per cent Alawi and other Shi’ite communities, (b) 1 per cent non-Muslim: Armenians: about 60,000 (mainly Orthodox) Greek Orthodox: about 2,500 Jews: about 24,000 to /25,000 Assyro-Chaldeans: about 25,000 Catholics: about 20,000 to 25,000, of whom onehalf are foreigners working temporarily in Turkey, and the remainder are Armenians (about 4,000) and Melkhite and Antioch Christians Protestants: in addition to the estimated 3,000 to /4,000 Armenian Protestants, there are about 200 other Protestants. 8. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided any information on the internal distribution among Muslim communities of different rite. However, according to non-governmental information, Alawi and other Shi’ite communities account for at least 20 percent of the Muslim population. In terms of nonMuslim communities, which account for only one percent of the Turkish population, the largest of the 4 minority groups recognized as covered by the Treaty of Lausanne are the Armenian, the Jewish and the (very small) Greek Orthodox community. Among other communities, the Assyro-Chaldeans stand out numerically, well ahead of the Greek Orthodox. II. Legal aspects of freedom of religion and belief A. Constitutional provisions 1. Freedom of religion and belief and the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of religion and belief 9. The 1982 Turkish Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and belief and the principle of nondiscrimination on the basis of religion and belief. 10. Article 10 of the Constitution, dealing with equality before the law, provides that all citizens are equal before the law, without discrimination as to language, race, colour, sex, political or philosophical opinion, religion or sect, or any other distinctive feature of a similar nature. As well, article 70 of the Constitution, on admission to the public service, provides that any Turkish national may enter the public service, with the sole criterion being that person’s capacity to perform the tasks involved. 11. According to article 14 of the Constitution, on the prohibition of abuse of fundamental rights and freedoms, no right established by the Constitution may be exercised in such a way as to threaten the indivisible unity of the State, its territory and nation, (…) by creating discrimination based on language, race, religion or sect or by establishing, through any other means, a system of government based on one or other of these concepts or ideas. Moreover, article 15 of the Constitution, on suspension of the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms, even in case of war, mobilization or state of emergency, declares that no one may be compelled to reveal his or her religion, conscience, thought or opinion, or be accused on account of them. 12. Article 24 of the Constitution, dealing with freedom of religion and conscience, provides: Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, of belief and of religious conviction. Acts of worship, religious services and ceremonies may