A/59/366 Tatartan had rejected an appeal by a Baptist missionary, Mr. Takhir Talipov, for a residency permit. In its ruling, the court allegedly stated that Mr. Talipov’s activities were “extremist” and liable to threaten stability in the country. 64. The Special Rapporteur also mentioned the case of the Kwan Lim (Kvanrim) Methodist Church, which may lose its church building after the local Moscow city justice department allowed non-members of the congregation to change the building’s ownership without the Church’s knowledge. On 23 December 2003, Pastor Kim-Jun-Kuy, his family and other Church officials were forcibly evicted from the church. The Moscow justice department had accepted documents with a reportedly false stamp that were used to transfer ownership of the church building to a non-existent “Kwan Lim” company and then sell it on to a commercial firm at a fraction of its market price. 65. On 26 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent another communication relating to information on two congregations on Russia’s Pacific coast — the Grace Pentecostal Church and the Orthodox parish of the Annunciation — which may lose their places of worship after the Sovetskaya Gavan city council abruptly cancelled a contract for the use of a State-owned building. Saudi Arabia 66. On 14 June 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent to the Government of Saudi Arabia information according to which Brian Savio O’Connor, a Catholic citizen of India, had been arrested in Riyadh on 25 March 2004 because of his faith. Officially accused of using drugs and praying to Jesus Christ, Mr. O’Connor was allegedly threatened with death if he did not convert to Islam. He was reportedly detained in the Olaya prison. 67. By letter of 12 August 2004, the Government stated that this allegation was unsubstantiated and exaggerated. There had never been any forced conversion in Saudi Arabia but it was not unprecedented for a foreign worker to attempt to evade punishment for a criminal offence by falsely claiming to have been victimized, prosecuted and discriminated against on account of his religious beliefs. Sri Lanka 68. On 14 June 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent to the Government of Sri Lanka information according to which a draft bill on prohibition of forcible conversion had been presented by Buddhist monks of the Jathika Hela Uramaya (JHU) party in order to protect and foster Buddhism in Sri Lanka. While some organizations had reportedly challenged the bill in the Supreme Court, it was feared that they might not obtain satisfaction given the recent trend of the Court in favour of Buddhism. 69. By letter of 22 June 2004, the Government confirmed that a bill on religious conversions had been presented to Parliament by members of the JHU and underlined in this regard that several bills that would allow religious organizations providing social and economic assistance to the community to be incorporated had been successfully challenged in the Supreme Court in three instances. The petitioners who challenged these bills argued that if the organizations of a particular denomination were statutorily incorporated and received the right to engage in economic activities, this could lead to religious conversions through allurement or by subtle means, which would be contrary to the freedom of thought, conscience 14