A/58/296 exercise of freedom of religion or belief subject to a registration procedure; it would also allow alternative military service only for members of certain religions. 72. Thus, Dmitri Shukhov, a baptist from Bishkek, has reportedly been declared ineligible for alternative service because his church has refused to be registered. 73. In a communication dated 22 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur transmitted information that Muslim girls had been called before the school principal because they were veiled. Their religious books had been confiscated and they had been threatened with expulsion if they continued to wear the veil. In the town of BazarKurgan, Muslim students had reportedly been beaten by their teacher for practising Islam. Morocco 74. On 11 April 2003, the Special Rapporteur sent the Government of Morocco a communication concerning 14 young “heavy metal” music enthusiasts who had been sentenced to prison by a Casablanca court for undermining the Muslim faith. In a decree dated 4 April 2003, the Casablanca appeals court reportedly confirmed the three-and-a-half-month prison sentences of three of the young people and acquitted the 11 others. Republic of Moldova 75. In a message dated 8 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur informed the Moldovan Government that in April 2003, the Bendery authorities were said to have arrested Baptists, questioned them regarding the practices of their church and confiscated 29 books. In addition, Alexsandr Kulysh, owner of the Baptist church in Krasnoe, and several other people had reportedly been fined for using a building on his property as a church. 76. The Special Rapporteur draws attention to his comments on registration procedures in paragraph 28 of this report. Myanmar 77. On 11 April 2003, the Special Rapporteur sent a communication to the Government of Myanmar regarding the arrest of a Falun Gong practitioner, Chan Wing Yuen, on 12 December 2001 for displaying a banner that read “Truthfulness — Compassion — Tolerance” in a street. Mr. Chan was reportedly sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. 78. The Special Rapporteur also transmitted a report that on 20 December 2002 over 100 Naga Christians had been forcibly converted to Buddhism in a ceremony organized by soldiers at the Buddhist monastery of Khunthet. 79. By letter dated 8 May 2003, the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that Dr. Salai Tun Than, held in the Insein Prison Hospital, had reportedly begun a hunger strike to protest conditions of detention in the prison and, in particular, the fact that he was not allowed to have a bible or to receive communion. 13