A/HRC/13/40 which accord privileged treatment to a particular religion, resulting in adverse effects on the members of other religions or beliefs, are of particular concern in this regard. Discriminatory laws that, for example, restrict citizenship to people with certain religious beliefs or that deny official documents on the grounds of the applicant’s religious affiliation may also lead to a lack of religious diversity in a given country. An additional indicator is the adoption of discriminatory legislation, in particular if State officials overtly justify such new laws. 24. A second early warning sign would be the lack of accountability for crimes and patterns of impunity following a human rights violation targeting members of a specific religious or belief community. It might be an indicator if members of several religious minorities are subject to persecution, violence and harassment. It is alarming if, in practice, victims of religious discrimination have no access to legal redress or if the existing domestic laws to protect them are not adequately implemented. In this regard, the inaction of the relevant State institutions or discriminatory acts of police officers, prosecutors and judges may be crucial indicators. 25. A third early warning sign is the existence of significant patterns of religious discrimination in State practices and policies. Such patterns are usually manifested in negative social, educational and economic indicators. For example, some domestic procedures for registration of religious communities are applied by the relevant authorities in a discriminatory manner; sometimes, the authorities even make the recognition of the legal status of a community applying for registration conditional on the agreement of another religious community. In addition, compulsory identification of a person’s religious affiliation on official identity documents carries a serious risk of abuse or subsequent discrimination based on religion or belief. 26. A fourth early warning sign is persistent negative stereotyping in public speeches by elected or other officials targeting members of specific religious or belief communities. Furthermore, it is disturbing if a Government uses State-controlled media to spread fabrications about targeted groups in order to condone or justify violence against members of these religious communities. Unfortunately, irrational fears about members of specific religious or belief communities may be easily exploited for political purposes. It may also be a negative indicator if members of certain religious communities cannot make their voices adequately heard by decision makers and the relevant State authorities. B. Non-State actors 27. Certain acts and behaviour of non-State actors may also constitute early warning signs of discrimination and violence on the grounds or in the name of religion or belief. Violent attacks on and harassment of persons based on their religious affiliation — real or presumed — may be pertinent indicators that warrant State intervention. In addition, the deliberate destruction of and attacks on places or worship and other religious sites of a specific community by non-State actors are worrying trends which need to be tackled at an early stage. 28. Furthermore, patterns of advocacy of religious hatred that could constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence should be watched closely. In this regard, one early warning sign is if religious leaders, opinion-makers in the mass media or individuals spread messages of religious hatred, including using new information technologies such as blogs or online discussion sites. A further indicator is the preaching of hatred by religious leaders. Teaching at educational institutions that encourages religious bigotry and exploitation of children in a systematic and organized fashion is also a troubling sign. 10 GE.09-17648