A/HRC/7/10/Add.1 page 32 Urgent appeal sent on 2 May 2007 jointly with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women 125. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information they had received regarding the arrest of 278 women on 21 April 2007 alone for wearing overly loose headscarves or tight coats. 231 of these women were released after they signed papers promising they will not appear again “inadequately dressed in public”. Allegedly, until 29 April 2007, police in various cities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have also stopped and warned at least 16,000 women who were showing too much hair or wore a headscarf deemed too colourful. The Iranian Police Chief, Mr. Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqaddam, reportedly stated on 18 April 2007 that in 2006 more than one million women were stopped relating to the way they wear the hijab (Islamic veil) and 10,000 charged for violating the dress code. Observations 126. The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has not received a reply from the Government concerning the above mentioned allegation. She has already covered the question of religious symbols in detail in her 2006 report to the Commission on Human Rights and she would like to reiterate that “[t]he fundamental objective should be to safeguard both the positive freedom of religion or belief as manifested in observance and practice by voluntarily wearing or displaying religious symbols, and also the negative freedom from being forced to wear or display religious symbols” (see E/CN.4/2006/5, para. 60). Urgent appeal sent on 30 August 2007 jointly with the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health 127. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information they had received regarding Shi'a cleric Ayatollah Sayed Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi, Iranian citizen, aged 49. According to the information received, Mr. Boroujerdi’s trial was held on 10 June 2007 before the Special Court for the Clergy. He was denied legal counsel. It was unclear whether he was sentenced to death or whether his case is still under consideration. Allegedly the trial was related to Mr. Boroujerdi’s religious views since he supports freedom of religion and the separation between religion and politics. 128. Mr. Boroujerdi is currently detained in Evin prison, where, on top of the severe conditions of detention, he has been beaten and had cold water spilled on him while he was sleeping. Although he suffers from Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems, Mr. Boroujerdi had reportedly been denied permission to seek treatment at the prison’s medical facility until he started a hunger strike on 22 July 2007. Observations 129. The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has not received a reply from the Government concerning the above mentioned allegation. She would like to refer to her framework for communications, more specifically to the international human rights norms and to the mandate practice concerning “Freedom of expression including questions related to religious conflicts,