E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.3 Page 16 come from different sources, some religiously affiliated, some not. These attacks have taken place in the context of the religious tensions that have existed in Sri Lanka in the last few years (see sect. VII). A. Specific cases 80. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur travelled to Homagama, a locality situated on the outskirts of Colombo where St Michael’s Catholic Church has allegedly been attacked four times between December 2002 and December 2004. 14 During the attacks, the church was seriously damaged, including by fire, and a number of religious symbols or other objects of worship were desecrated or destroyed. The leaders of the community claim that they were attacked not so much because of their religion, but because they had settled in a place that is considered to be Buddhist land. 81. The Minister for Christian Affairs visited the site of the attacks and promised that the church would be rebuilt. However, although the Special Rapporteur was not able to meet with the police officer responsible for the area, there has not been any tangible result in terms of criminal investigation or judicial proceedings for any of the four incidents. According to her information, no one has been brought to justice and compensation has not been given to the Catholic community. 82. Besides Homagama, between 80 and 100 similar cases have been reported for the year 2004 and the figures are similar for the years 2002 and 2003. Among the acts complained of are attacks, destruction or burning of places of worship and other properties targeted because of the religious affiliation of their owners, desecration of religious symbols or objects, assaults and beatings of members of Christian communities, threats and insults, distribution of leaflets and other publications inciting religious hatred, and disruption of religious ceremonies. 83. It is claimed that the perpetrators of these acts of religious intolerance are generally members of the Buddhist community and, in many cases, Buddhist monks. It has also been alleged that some of these acts were accompanied by threats against the victims who refused to return to Buddhism. 84. As a result of the atmosphere of religious intolerance, many Christians live in fear of being attacked. Certain communities have closed their place of worship or only hold religious ceremonies at night. B. Government response 85. Although the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors at the official level all condemned the attacks, the reports received claimed that the measures taken by the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and to remedy the situation have been either insufficient or non- inexistent. In only a very few cases have perpetrators been prosecuted under applicable criminal law provisions (destruction of property, violence). Certain interlocutors claimed that there was political pressure behind the apparent reluctance to make the judicial apparatus function properly.