A/57/274 8. On 27 May 2002, the Special Rapporteur sent a communication about a popular Tunisian singer, Dhikra Mohammed, who was reportedly sentenced to death by a fatwa pronounced by a judge of the Islamic High Court of Riyadh, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Khdairi, for having compared her sufferings to those of the prophet, thus committing an act of apostasy liable to the death sentence; she is said to have denied showing any lack of respect towards the prophet. 9. By letter dated 27 May 2002, the Government responded notably: “There is no so-called ‘Islamic High Court’ in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Government is in no way associated with this information. That information which evidently concerns a person who expressed an opinion in his personal capacity does not reflect the point of view of the Government or any of its judicial authorities and, consequently, is totally inaccurate.” 10. The Special Rapporteur, while taking due note of Saudi Arabia’s reply, wishes to point out in this respect that it is the duty of the State to counter all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief and to ensure that freedom of opinion or expression, as well as freedom of religious belief, is safeguarded within the framework and the limits envisaged by international law. 11. By letter dated 28 March 2002, the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received reports that, on 11 March 2002, some girls who were escaping from a burning school at Mecca were prevented from leaving by members of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice on the ground that they were not wearing the appropriate clothing required in public places. The Committee members also reportedly opposed the rescue operation because the rescuers were men. Fifteen girls are said to have perished and dozens of others to have been injured. A number of girls who successfully escaped are alleged to have been beaten publicly because they left the school improperly dressed. 12. By letter dated 4 June 2002, the Government responded notably: “The regrettable fire in which a number of girls lost their lives was an accident caused by 4 one of the students. The allegation that members of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in any way bore responsibility for their deaths is totally unfounded, as confirmed by the investigations that were conducted after the fire, the results of which were made public. The exaggerated manner in which the allegation portrays that accident and links its consequences to intervention by members of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is fabricated, implausible and totally lacking in credibility. There is a definite similarity between this and other recent allegations derived from some information media which have been transmitted to us. The responsible officials are making every endeavour to preserve the safety and dignity of citizens and foreign residents and would never allow them to be subjected to any form of humiliating or degrading treatment or encroachment on their rights.” 13. On 8 February 2002, the Special Rapporteur sent a communication about seven persons belonging to the Ismaili community, including Duhayman Muhammad al-Hatila and Mish’il al-Hussain Barman bel-Harith, said to be detained in al-Hai prison in Riyadh and in danger of being executed. These people are said to have been among the hundreds of demonstrators who were allegedly arrested in April 2000 by Saudi security forces when they were protesting in Najran following the closure of their mosque and the arrest of a person suspected of witchcraft. Azerbaijan 14. On 12 February 2002, the Special Rapporteur sent a communication to the Azerbaijani Government concerning two leaders of an unregistered Pentecostal church, Yusuf Farkhadov and Kasym Kasymov, who were reportedly arrested by the police and officers of the Ministry of National Security during a religious meeting in a private apartment on 18 January 2002, sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment on 21 January 2002 and held in Sumgait prison. Three members of a Baptist church are also said to have been held in Sumgait and threatened by the police with two weeks’ imprisonment for distributing Bibles in the street on 2 February 2002. One of them, Rauf Gurbanov, is alleged to have been severely beaten by the police.