A/HRC/10/8/Add.4 page 7 disseminate beliefs related to his/her attitude toward religion and to participate in the practice of religious cults, rituals and ceremonies. According to article 19 of the Constitution, Turkmenistan guarantees the equality of rights and freedoms and of a man and citizen and the equality of a man and citizen before the law regardless of their, inter alia, attitude toward religion. In addition, article 30 prohibits the creation and activity of political parties and other public organizations aiming at, inter alia, a violent change of the constitutional structure, allowing violence in their activities, acting against the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, propagating war, racial, national or religious enmity. This article also prohibits the creation of paramilitary organizations and political parties based on ethnic or religious criteria. 14. The Law of Turkmenistan on freedom of conscience and religious organizations (“Religious Organizations Law”), adopted on 21 October 2003, spells out the foregoing constitutional provisions in more detail. It replaces the 1991 Law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations and its subsequent amendments in 1995 and 1996. Article 2 recognizes that in case an international treaty to which Turkmenistan is a signatory party sets rules which are different from those contemplated in this Law, the rules of the international treaty shall apply. Religious education is governed by articles 6 and 9. Accordingly, children may be provided religious education at mosques for no longer than four hours a week upon approval of the Council on Religious Affairs and of the parents. Furthermore, providing religious education in private is prohibited. Article 9 also indicates that citizens of Turkmenistan may receive religious education at a specific faculty in the Magtymguly Turkmen State University. Article 11 prohibits the activity of unregistered religious organizations and defines the registration procedure through the Council on Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. The following articles 12 and 14 determine the reasons for refusing to register a religious organization or liquidating it. Such reasons include the non-religious nature of the organization, the interference of the religious organization in family relations that result in the breakup of a family or the propaganda of war and social, racial, national or religious discord. Article 15 and 16 regulate the property of religious organizations and allow them to possess buildings and other property needed to ensure their activities, as well as property that was acquired or created at their own expense. According to article 19, religious organizations have the right to freely establish and maintain accessible places of religious service or religious ceremonies as well as places of pilgrimage. This article also prohibits the wearing of religious costumes in public places, except for priests of religious organizations. Under article 20, citizens of Turkmenistan and religious organizations are allowed to acquire, purchase and use religious literature. Import, export and dissemination of religious literature encouraging religious, national, interethnic and racial discord are however not permitted. Furthermore, delivery and dissemination of religious literature published abroad shall be conducted upon the expert assessment of its content by the Council on Religious Affairs. The mandate of the Council on Religious Affairs is determined by article 7. 15. The 2003 Religious Organizations Law was modified in 2004 through several amendments and presidential decrees. As a result, the numerical threshold for registration was reduced from five hundred members to five in March 2004. A difference was also established between religious groups, which shall consist of no more than 50 citizens, and religious organizations, which shall consist of no less than 50 citizens. Moreover, the Ministry of Justice was no longer required to publish in the local media a list of registered religious organizations. In addition, whereas unregistered religious activity was regarded as a criminal offence, it became an administrative offence in May 2004. Hence, according to article 205 of the Code of