E/CN.4/1999/58 page 25 Sudan 96. An urgent appeal was made in connection with the arrest and disappearance of Nasir Hassan, a student at the Bishop Gwynne Theological College in Juba, because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. Other communications alleged the closure by decree of the Catholic Club of Khartoum despite the protests of the Catholic Church, as well as the arrest in Khartoum of two Catholic priests accused of being linked to explosions, but apparently victims of an attempt to discredit the Catholic Church. Sri Lanka 97. Catholic, Protestant and Hindu places of worship are reportedly among the main targets of violence. 98. Sri Lanka has explained that its legislation, international commitments under international human rights instruments and policy guaranteed freedom of religion and belief for all. It made particular mention of holidays that coincided with the main religious festivals, Muslims' ability to obtain special leave to participate in Friday prayers, the inclusion of religious teaching in school curricula, the training of teachers for religious instruction and the right of each student to choose to be instructed in the religion of his or her choice. The attacks on Muslim and Buddhist places of worship, including the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, were committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam who were carrying out a campaign of terror. Turkmenistan 99. Religious and denominational minorities, with the exception of the Russian Orthodox Church, are reportedly the victims of acts of intolerance and discrimination. The country's legislation allegedly does not recognize conscientious objection based on religious belief, and conscientious objectors are sent to prison. Turkey 100. Religious dignitaries and sites (places of worship, cemeteries) of the Christian communities, and particularly the Greek Catholic Church, are reportedly the target of acts of violence, including bomb attacks (particularly against the Patriarchate); it is also said that a priest was murdered. The police and security services have apparently been unable to identify and arrest those responsible for these acts. Moreover, the authorities have allegedly closed down a Pentecostal church, the Oasis International Christian Fellowship, although it apparently had official authorization. A second communication alleges that in September 1998 the Ministry of the Interior unilaterally appointed “an interim leader for the Armenian Church in Turkey, in an apparent attempt to invalidate the Armenian Church's elected choice of Acting Patriarch. In response, the Patriarchate's religious Council issued a unanimous declaration rejecting the Government's interference in its internal affairs.” 101. In response to the first communication, Turkey claimed that some of the incidents described above were linked to thefts and not to acts of religious