E/CN.4/2001/0063 page 17 47. According to a third communication, in July 2000, in the Gldani district of Tbilisi, Vladimir Marikyan and Sergey Barsigyan, Jehovah’s Witnesses, were reportedly hit by a group of at least 12 Bassilists, who also reportedly destroyed their religious tracts. On 28 July 2000, a group of Bassilists allegedly attacked a bus carrying Jehovah’s Witnesses to a religious rally in Marneuli, roughing up the travellers. On 20 August 2000, in Tianeti, the chief of district police, assisted by three police officers, reportedly broke up a Baptist religious service. The police are reported to have destroyed objects of worship and taken Pastor Kalatozishvili to the police station in order to put pressure on him to give up his work in the Baptist Church in favour of the Orthodox Church. 48. According to a fourth communication, on 28 September 2000, police officers from Gldani and Ndzaladevi districts in Tbilisi attempted to confiscate literature from the Hare Krishna Movement, but the attempt was unsuccessful because of the intervention of a lawyer representing the Movement. On 24 September 2000, however, 100 tons of literature from the Movement were reportedly confiscated by the police. Greece 49. Primary and secondary school curricula include compulsory instruction in the Orthodox religion for pupils of that faith. This then raises the question as to whether pupils who were baptized Orthodox but are not observant or have become atheist should be exempted. Representative of the Muslim community in Athens have reportedly complained of the absence of religious instruction in Islam in school curricula. In April 2000 a synagogue in Thessaloniki was reportedly vandalized, while similar acts reportedly occurred in Jewish cemeteries in May 2000. 50. Greece has replied: “Under article 13, paragraph 1, of the Hellenic Constitution, on the inviolability of freedom of religious conscience, the Minister of Education and Worship has repeatedly issued circulars and responses based on said article, i.e. on protection of pupils’ freedom of religious conscience. In particular, secondary school pupils who are non-Orthodox Christians, members of another religion, have no religion or are atheist are exempted from religious instructions, prayers, attendance at mass and religious ceremonies when both parents or, in cases of divorce, the parent having legal custody of the pupil, submit a statement under honour to that effect … Article 13, paragraph 13, of Presidential Decree No. 201/98 protects primary school pupils’ right to religious tolerance. As for the protest raised by the Muslim community in Athens, under Law No. 1566/85, the purpose of primary and secondary education is to contribute to the multilateral, harmonious and balanced development of pupils’ mental and psychosomatic capacities so that, regardless of their sex or origin, they may become accomplished persons and live a creative life. Implementation of these measures is first and foremost the responsibility of the State, which guarantees all pupils, regardless of their religion, the best possible conditions for attending school without

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