territory illegally or had contravened the law or had exercised a profession in a region other than the one in which they were authorized to do so were sent back by order of the local authorities. Expulsion orders could be appealed and, if rejected, a further appeal could be made to the administrative chamber of the Supreme Court, but this would not have suspensive effect. The legal basis for the expulsion of Mr. Serfati had been an order by the Minister of the Interior. Since it was not established that Mr. Serfati was of Moroccan nationality, his case had been dealt with on the basis of rules and regulations pertaining to aliens. Obtaining a passport was possible for all Moroccan citizens; a number of measures had been taken in April 1991 with a view to accelerating the procedure. Restrictions on the issuance of passports applied only to cases where national security or morality were involved, and the members of the Oufkir family could obtain passports, like all Moroccan nationals. There were no restrictions on freedom of movement in the southern provinces of Morocco. The measure of banishment did not exist. Freedom of religion and expression 65. With reference to that issue, members of the Committee asked to be provided with information concerning registration or other procedures relating to the recognition of religions or religious sects by the authorities and about any difficulties that had been encountered in that regard. They also wished to know whether there were any mechanisms for censorship of the press or the media; what conditions had to be fulfilled before foreign newspapers or periodicals could obtain a permit; what the position was in respect of the Baha'i faith; what were the revealed religions, according to Moroccan law; what rules applied to marriages between members of different religious groups; whether the privileges extended to members of the press influenced their independence; and what sort of publications were subject to penal sanctions or some form of censorship. 66. In reply, the representative stated that Islam was the religion of the State, which guaranteed to all the free exercise of religion without permitting, however, any attempt to shake the convictions of a Muslim. Religious denominations were not allowed to register and were covered by the relevant provisions of the dahir of 15 November 1985 on the freedom of association. Liberty of expression was enshrined in article 9 of the Constitution and regulated by the Press Code of 1958, which contained administrative measures applicable to the publication of newspapers and periodicals, including the requirement of the deposit of copies of newspapers or other publications with the judicial authorities and the Ministry of Information. Periodicals or other documents could be published without being subjected to censorship. The foreign press was covered by a decree which provided that the publishers had to present a written request containing general information about the envisaged publication to the authorities. 67. Concerning the questions regarding the Baha'i faith, the representative explained that according to Islam only Christianity and Judaism were revealed religions. Persons belonging to the latter two faiths could exercise their religion freely and publicly. The Baha'i faith did not qualify as such and was considered as a heretical sect of colonial origin, Accordingly, its services could only be held in private. Article 221 of the Penal Code strictly prohibited all acts of proselytism. Publications were prosecuted -15-