E/CN.4/1999/58 page 20 Baha'i, Mr. R. Rawahani, accused of converting a Muslim woman, even though the woman apparently claimed to be a Baha'i. This appeal also referred to a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, who allegedly described the report of the execution as a lie and stressed that no such sentence had been passed by the Iranian courts. Other communications alleged, firstly, confirmation of the sentencing of two Baha'is, Mr. Jamali' d-Din Hajipur and Mr. Mansur Mihrabi, because of their affiliation to Baha'ism, labelled as a sect and an unlawful organization, and, secondly, the arrests of 32 Baha'is (one of whom was later released), members of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education, and confiscation of their property. According to another communication, a policy of intolerance and discrimination is applied to the Sunni community (obstacles to construction of places of worship and schools, closure of mosques, executions and murders of Sunni religious and intellectual dignitaries). Lastly, Hojatoleslam Sayyid Moshen Sa'idzadeh, a writer, was reportedly arrested for his writings on Islamic law and women's rights, in which he called for equal rights. 67. In reply to the communication concerning the Sunnis, Iran explained that, under its Constitution, the Government was committed to the protection of the rights of all citizens and that Shiites and Sunnis were equal before the law and enjoyed the same rights and freedoms. The Sunnis were not perceived as being a minority within Iranian society and were in no way subjected to discrimination on account of their faith. The Iranian authorities said that they would cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in an inquiry into the cases mentioned in his communication. In reply to the second urgent appeal and, hence, to the first (updated in the second), Iran replied: “Following the rejection by the Supreme Court of the death sentence on Mr. Syrus Zabihi and Mr. Hedayat Kashefi, the defendants, in accordance with due process of law, were retried by another competent court in Mashad. The court found them guilty of charges of acting against national security and sentenced them to death. However, the verdicts are not finalized yet and require further confirmation by the Supreme Court. In addition, should the Supreme Court confirm the verdicts, the defendants can still resort to appeal and/or clemency.” 68. The Special Rapporteur deems it important that Iran, heir to a great civilization founded on tolerance, creative intelligence and moderation, subtlety and nuance, should reconsider its attitude to the Baha'i faith, in the interests of freedom of religion or belief, in compliance with its international commitments and teachings to the effect that religion admits of no constraint. Whatever perception certain Iranians may have of the Baha'i question, it is for the State, which is responsible for all its citizens, to focus on constants rather than variables and consider each individual and each minority, as repositories of rights and obligations, to be worthy of respect and attention and to have the right to consideration and protection. Iraq 69. Two Shiite religious dignitaries, namely, Ayatollah Shaykh Murtadha Al-Burujerdi and Ayatollah Ali al-Gharavi, were reportedly assassinated by government agents.