E/CN.4/1999/58 page 11 27. In reply to the latter communication, the authorities officially representing Afghanistan stated: “The incidents mentioned in your letter are perfectly accurate, and we urge you to give these atrocities the widest possible publicity.” Albania 28. The principal religious communities complain of the slow process of restoration of property confiscated under the former regime. Germany 29. The tennis player Arnaud Boetsch and the musician Enrique Ugarte reportedly lost contracts because of their affiliation with Scientology. A police chief in Berlin was allegedly fired because of his affiliation with Scientology, which he denied; he was eventually reinstated for lack of evidence. Angola 30. The Angolese army reportedly massacred 21 Christians, including a deacon, in the Cabinda enclave. Saudi Arabia 31. Christians of Philippine and Netherlands nationality were allegedly arrested after a bible was found near a residence in Riyadh. Five of them were allegedly expelled from the national territory and eight others transferred to detention cells pending expulsion. 32. Saudi Arabia replied, “No interdiction has been imposed on any non-Muslim person to practice his religious belief in Saudi Arabia, although the Saudi population is entirely of the Muslim religion. However, the Saudi population respects the belief of non-Muslims, according to the general regulation in force in Saudi Arabia and in conformity with the provisions of article 18, paragraph 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Non-Muslim persons have the right to practise their religious ceremony within their residence. Article 37 of the Basic System of Saudi Arabia stipulates: Houses are inviolable. They shall not be entered without permission from their owners. Regarding this case, those persons have sought to transgress security by probably exercising religious activities which irritated the fury and rage of some citizens. This action has called for the intervention of the security forces to settle the problem. The persons involved have been arrested to safeguard security and to avoid any repercussions since they could become victims. All the persons involved have been released and have left Saudi Arabia for their country. They have not been expelled ... The allegation specifying that those persons have been subject to coercive detention and torture or ill-treatment, is absolutely inadmissible and is not supported by conclusive evidence. The regulation in force in Saudi Arabia guarantees the non-occurrence of such practices and the law punishes the perpetrators firmly.”

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