E/CN.4/2001/0063 page 12 demonstrated to commemorate the birthday of the movement’s founder and were immediately arrested by the police. In mid-June 2000, a total of 35,000 Falun Gong practitioners were allegedly arrested, and 84 of them were officially sentenced to prison, while 5,000 more were allegedly sent to re-education camps without a trial. 27. In December 1999, Trinley Dorje, the seventeenth Gyalwa Karmapa, one of the most important Buddhist spiritual leaders, is reported to have left the Tibet Autonomous Region and gone to join the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. His decision to leave is said to have been the result of restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities in religious matters. In June 2000 new regulations were proclaimed orally at Lhasa by the local authorities with a view to prohibiting the possession of altars and religious objects in private homes (including the homes of officials) and banning visits to monasteries and temples by students during summer holidays; the latter measure was intended to put an end to practices perceived as being superstitious and backwards, such as praying for success in examinations. 28. On 1 October 2000, the national holiday of the People’s Republic of China, several hundred members of the Falun Gong sect demonstrated on Tiananmen Square. Most of the demonstrators were reportedly arrested by the police and placed in detention. The demonstration, which had been announced on the Falun Gong Web site, was preceded by mass arrests of at least 600 Falun Gong members. Côte d’Ivoire 29. On 26 and 27 October 2000, during the presidential election, violent clashes between militants of the Front populaire ivoirien (FPI) and the Rassemblement des républicains (RDR) reportedly took on a religious tone. Political fighting turned into violent ethnic, but also religious, confrontations between Muslim Senufos and Dioulas from the north, who supported RDR, and Christians from the south, who supported FPI. As a result of this unrest at least several dozen people died and mosques and churches were destroyed. Egypt 30. On 31 December 1999, in El-Kosheh, following a Christian merchant’s refusal to sell fabric on credit to a Muslim, the Muslim in question, with the help of his family, allegedly tried to provoke a fight. The merchant and his relatives reportedly decided to avoid confrontation and went to lodge a complaint with the police. However, a police officer reportedly fired on the complainants and proceeded to arrest them. On 1 January 2000, Muslim clerics reportedly called upon the faithful to fight the Christians. Nineteen Christians and two Muslims are said to have died in the ensuing rioting. 31. Egypt replied by transmitting two documents: first, a newspaper article on the events in El-Kosheh and a copy of the decision of the Office of the Attorney-General of Egypt containing the charges as finalized after investigation by that Office. The decision covers 96 persons charged with various crimes, including murder, theft and sabotage; and, secondly, an extract from a document, taken, apparently, from a statement indicating, far too briefly, the main forms of action taken by the Government in order to contain and prevent the aforementioned events.