A/52/477 English Page 15 "All religious organizations in China operate independently, are autonomous and disseminate their teachings, and resist any outside effort to direct their internal affairs or interfere with them, so that Chinese citizens enjoy guaranteed freedom of religion". On the subject of the allegations relating to places of worship, the authorities explained that in Shanghai in particular, the bodies responsible for religious affairs had begun to register all places of worship and that the security services had searched and closed some premises where nefarious beliefs were being taught. The allegations regarding the closing of premises where religious instruction was provided were refuted. Buildings were said to have been destroyed in the town of Wenzhou because they were not in compliance with the regulations. The Chinese authorities also accused the Dalai Lama of agitating for the independence of Tibet and, with reference to the allegations that monks had been arrested and that a monk from the temple of Ganden had even been killed, they maintained that the monks had attacked government officials and destroyed a police station. 54. Cyprus stated that Salih Askerogul, a Turkish Cypriot who had been condemned to three years' imprisonment for conscientious objection, released after serving three quarters of his sentence and then detained again for 24 hours on an arrest warrant to which he had objected, had been awarded financial compensation and that the case was closed. 55. Ethiopia, in reply to a communication alleging religious intolerance against the Lutheran Church "Mekane Vesus", recalled that its Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion and freedom to practise one's religion. The Ethiopian authorities refuted the allegations that "Mekane Vesus", which was recognized as a legal person under Ethiopian law, had been classified as a sect, and also the allegations that the Church's religious leaders had been arrested. Attention was drawn to the problem of differences between Orthodox believers and Protestants, a problem the Government claimed to be addressing by way of human rights programmes. 56. Greece stated that Joannes Giantzaklides had been exempted from military service as a Seventh-Day Adventist minister, in accordance with article 6 of Act No. 1763/88. 57. The Islamic Republic of Iran, replying to allegations concerning the deaths of Christian religious leaders, provided statements by the Assyro-Chaldean churches urging that those events not be exploited politically with a view to discrediting the Islamic Republic of Iran, and stating that the perpetrators of the murders had confessed to the crimes. 58. Japan, replying to a communication alleging that the Subversive Organization Law had been applied against the organization known as the Supreme Religious Group and that the Law was generally having a detrimental impact on religious minorities, explained that the legislation in question allowed control measures such as the restriction of activities or the dissolution of organizations only when the strict conditions provided for by the law were met, namely, the need to defend public health against subversive terrorist activities. The Japanese authorities stated that investigation had shown that /...