A/HRC/22/51/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief visited the island of Cyprus from 29 March to 5 April 2012.1 The visit involved the entire island with the purpose of identifying good practices as well as existing or emerging obstacles to the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/37 and 14/11. 2. The Special Rapporteur would like to express his gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus for inviting him and for extending a standing invitation to all special procedures. He appreciated the high degree of hospitality, cooperation and many substantial discussions, all of which took place in an open and constructive atmosphere. The Special Rapporteur is indebted moreover to all interlocutors from the whole island, from different sectors of society and from different religious communities who helped him better understand the complexities of the political and social situation on the island of Cyprus. The Special Rapporteur benefited immensely from listening to various narratives and open sharing of experiences and assessments of the situation with him in the capital as well as in cities and villages he visited during his field trips both in the southern part (including Larnaca and Limassol) and the northern part (including Kormakiti and Rizokarpaso). 3. In the southern part, the Special Rapporteur met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Interior, the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the Presidential Commissioner and other high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Antiquities. The Special Rapporteur also met with the Parliamentary Representatives of the religious groups as well as representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman) and various municipal and local bodies. 4. In the northern part, the Special Rapporteur met with the de facto authorities, including the “Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, the “President of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality”, the “President of Religious Affairs”, the “Special Representative of the President”, the “Speaker of the Legislative Assembly” and the “Legal Affairs Adviser”. He also met with the representatives from the “Evkaf Office” (in charge of religious foundations and related issues) and the “Immovable Property Commission”. 5. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur engaged in discussions with representatives of various religious communities in the northern and southern parts, including the Anglican Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Bahá’í community, the Buddhist community, the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Maronite Church, the Muslim community, and the Roman Catholic Church. 6. He also met with civil society organizations working on different human rights issues, including lawyers who specialize in questions of conscientious objection, academics, journalists who cover various social issues throughout the entire island and members of the bi-communal Gender Advisory Team. The Special Rapporteur found it important to make direct contact with people, in both urban and rural areas of the entire island, and understand the situation of the freedom of religion or belief from their first-hand experiences. The Special Rapporteur would also like to highlight the helpful discussions held with the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and the Office of the Third Member of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus. 1 4 In the present report, the Special Rapporteur specifically focuses on freedom of religion or belief throughout the island without entering into political debate.