A/HRC/25/66 resulting from the application of laws — and their possible discriminatory impact on some individuals and groups — should be reviewed and amended. 19. States should adopt domestic anti-discrimination legislation that includes provisions that prohibit direct and indirect discrimination against persons belonging to religious minorities. Governments should ensure the implementation of such legislation, including at local levels. They should further ensure that remedies are available and easily accessible for religious minorities, and that adequate penalties are applied in the event of violation. 20. States should exercise no undue influence over religious minority affairs, including with respect to the appointment of religious leaders, the functioning of places of worship, and any legitimate religion- or belief-based activities. 21. States that have not already adopted laws protecting against incitement to religious hatred, religious discrimination, and hostility or violence against religious minorities, should do so in line with applicable international standards and good practices, and should ensure that penalties are appropriate and are enforced in practice. 22. States should protect the interdependent freedoms of religion and expression that together encompass the rights to teach, proselytize and criticize any religion, while encouraging a respectful and peaceful coexistence. 23. States should ensure that anti-terrorism legislation and policies and their application do not lead to negative consequences for members of religious groups, in particular as a result of religious profiling. Religious profiling in the context of antiterrorism measures should be prohibited by law. 24. Blasphemy laws as well as provisions on offences related to religions should be repealed and replaced with provisions that are in conformity with applicable international human rights standards, including in relation to the right to freedom of religion or belief, and the right of persons to freely change their religion or belief if they so choose. 25. Harmful traditional religion- or belief-based practices that violate the human rights of any individual should be prohibited by law and addressed in conformity with international standards. Where appropriate, consultations should be undertaken with leaders and members of religious communities to address such issues and their causes. C. Policies and programmes 26. States should demonstrate their commitment to protecting the rights of religious minorities by ensuring that issues that concern them are consistently integrated into and are reflected in government policies and programmes. Minority rights-based approaches should be implemented that are comprehensive in scope and recognize that persons belonging to religious minorities, including women, may require special attention and positive measures to ensure the full enjoyment of their rights to non-discrimination and equality in all aspects of society — cultural, religious, social, economic and political. 27. The composition of national institutions, including government bodies and public employers, should be reviewed periodically to ensure that they are representative of the religious minorities present in society. States should promote the recruitment of persons belonging to religious minorities, including women belonging to religious minorities, into institutions including national, public and government bodies. 28. Measures to ensure access to justice for persons belonging to minority religious groups should be taken, such as the training of public and law enforcement officials on the rights contained in the Declaration and domestic legislation that are relevant to the rights of 6

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