A/HRC/13/40/Add.1 Sana’tparast, Mr. Esmail Sana’tparast, Mr. Mostafa Kashi, Mr. Naser Papi, Mr. Esmail Nouri, Mr. Musa Shahryari, Mr. Ali Nazari, Mr. Mohammad Hamrahi, Mr. Reza Shali, Mr. Yadollah Shamsi-Khani, Mr. A’bdolmanaf Qolami-Arjanki, Mr. Solyeman Nouri, Mr. Heshmatollah Vafai and Mr. Turaj Yegane, all members of the Gonabadi Sufi community in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 142. On the night of 18 February 2009, about 200 government security forces, police and plainclothes agents surrounded the Hosseinieh of Nematollahi-Gonabadi Sufi order, located in the Takhteh Foulad Cemetery in Isfahan and reportedly demolished the building using bulldozers and loaders. Subsequently, on 21 February 2009, members of the Gonabadi Sufi community from all over Iran gathered in front of the Parliament in Tehran in order to protest the demolition of their place of worship. Security forces and plainclothes agents allegedly arrested more than 850 Sufis to prevent them from protesting in front of the Parliament. 143. Although most of those who were arrested have reportedly since been freed, the 27 above mentioned members of the Gonabadi Sufi community were transferred to unit 240 and 249 of the Evin Prison. The following questions were, inter alia, allegedly asked by the prison personnel to the detainees: “Are you a member of the Gonabadi Sufi Order Dervishes? Name at least ten members of the Gonabadi Sufi Order Dervishes! Why and how did you become a member of the Gonabadi Sufi Order Dervishes?” 144. Families of those who remained detained have allegedly been unable to obtain information about the legal status and health of the detainees. In addition, lawyers representing detained Gonabadi Sufis have been prevented from meeting with their clients. (b) No response received from the Government (c) Observations of the Special Rapporteur 145. The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has so far not received a reply from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning the above mentioned allegations. She would like to recall that the Human Rights Council in resolution 6/37 urges States to take all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, as well as incitement to hostility and violence, with particular regard to religious minorities. 146. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur would like to refer to General Assembly resolution 63/181, in which the Assembly urges States to step up their efforts to protect and promote freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and to this end, to exert the utmost efforts, in accordance with their national legislation and in conformity with international human rights law, to ensure that religious places, sites, shrines and symbols are fully respected and protected and to take additional measures in cases where they are vulnerable to desecration and destruction. As mentioned, inter alia, in paragraph 4 of the Human Rights Committee’s general comment no. 22, places of worship are an essential element of the manifestation of the right to freedom of religion or belief to the extent that the great majority of religious communities or communities of belief need the existence of a place of worship where their members can manifest their faith. Moreover, unlike other forms of violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief, attacks or other forms of restriction on places of worship or other religious sites and shrines in many cases violate the right not only of a single individual, but the rights of a group of individuals forming the community that is attached to the place in question. 38