E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.1 Page 19 78. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government the situation of Ms. Jiang Zongxiu, aged 34, who was beaten to death during interrogation on 18 June 2004 at the Public Security Bureau of Tongzi County, Guizhou province. She was reportedly arrested on 17 June while she and her motherin-law were distributing Christian tracts and Bibles in the market place in Tongzi County, Guizhou province. Both of them were sentenced to 15 days administrative detention for their suspected activities of “spreading rumors and disturbing social order”. Ms. Jiang was found dead during interrogation time at about 2p.m. on 18 June 2004. No steps had been undertaken to investigate the case. The first autopsy result issued by the local government claimed Ms. Jiang died of heart failure. Responses from the Government dated 6 April 2005 and 16 June 2005 79. On 17 June 2004, the villagers Jiang Zongxiu and her mother-in-law Tan Dewei from Baishi village in Ganshui township, Qijiang county, Chongqing city, were conducting activities in the hawkers’ market in Tongzi county, Zunyi city, Guizhou province, which seriously disrupted commercial operations in the market. Acting in accordance with the provisions of article 19, paragraph 2, of the Rules on Penalties for Offences against Law and Order and pursuant to the law, the public security authorities held Tan and Jiang in public order detention for 15 days. 80. On 18 June at 2 p.m. Jiang suddenly fell ill while in the administrative detention facility of the Tongzi county public security bureau and was promptly transferred to a nearby hospital where efforts to save her life failed and she died. On 27 June, the Tongzi county public security bureau, together with members of Jiang Zongxiu’s family, entrusted the Forensic Science Centre of Zunyi Medical School in Guizhou province to carry out a forensic enquiry into the causes of Jiang’s death, to be conducted in the presence of members of the deceased’s family. The conclusions of the forensic enquiry ruled out the possibility of mechanical asphyxia, mechanically induced death or poisoning, and clearly established that the deceased suffered sudden death due to lipocardiac causes (because of the excessive build -up of fat in her heart, a condition which at any time can cause sudden death). 81. Following careful investigation it was verified that, at all times throughout the period of Jiang’s administrative detention, the public security authorities had acted in strict compliance with the law, had duly respected all Jiang’s lawful rights, and had never applied any form of torture or other inhuman treatment against her. When Jiang fell ill, she received prompt attention to save her life. The allegations that Jiang was beaten to death in the public security bureau during her in terrogation are not consistent with the facts. 82. The Chinese Constitution and Chinese law clearly establish that citizens shall enjoy the freedom of religious belief. Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution stipulates that citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy the freedom of religious belief. The measures taken by Chinese judicial authorities against Jiang were consistent with the law and were applied because the latter had conducted activities which seriously disrupted commercial operations in the market and had nothing to do with any issue of freedom of religious belief. Communication sent on 29 November 2004