E/CN.4/2000/65 page 24 Dominican Republic 91. Members of the national police must allegedly attend Catholic mass. The Catholic Church is said to be given preferential treatment by the Government, especially with regard to the granting of public funds for church expenditures and tax exemptions on imported goods. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 92. Buddhist and Christian religious organizations and places of worship have reportedly been established by the authorities for political purposes and are intended for foreign visitors, tourists and religious officials. Access to these places of worship by nationals, who are said to regard them merely as tourist sites intended for foreigners, is allegedly strictly monitored. Samoa 93. Despite the constitutional provisions guaranteeing freedom of religion and worship, village councils in fact sometimes engage in discriminatory behaviour, including the expulsion of people not sharing the belief prevailing in the village and the destruction of their property. Sudan 94. In August 1999, a Canadian Catholic priest was expelled without explanation by the Immigration Department. The Special Rapporteur also requested information once again on the situation of two Catholic priests, Father Lino Sabbat and Father H. Boma, who were arrested by the security forces in August 1988 and accused of involvement in the Khartoum explosions in June 1998 (E/CN.4/1999/58, para. 96). Sri Lanka 95. Two Seventh Day Adventists, including a pastor and pastor’s son, were reportedly arrested in 1998 and are said to have been detained since then on the basis of apparently unjustified suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities. The Special Rapporteur would like to receive the views and comments of the Government of Sri Lanka as soon as possible. Tajikistan 96. The national legislation reportedly does not guarantee the right to conscientious objection on grounds of religious belief. Turkmenistan 97. The President of the Central Asian Conference of Seventh Day Adventists has reportedly had books written by him confiscated. This congregation is said not to have been registered by the authorities in the town of Ashgabat. In Turkmenbashi in March 1999, moreover, a member of the Baptist congregation was reportedly sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for fraud, whereas the real reason was apparently that he belonged to the Baptist church. He and his family had reportedly already received threats from the security forces if they did not leave the Baptist

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