374. In his reply, the representative of the State party explained that a draft law on states of emergency was pending before Congress and would probably be adopted before July 1992. Under the bill, freedom of movement could be restricted only in very specific circumstances and more extreme restrictions, such as the issuance of safe-conduct passes, could be imposed only during wartime. 375. The new Constitution not only guaranteed the right to privacy, but also sought to adapt that concept to modern technological developments. Article 15 of the Constitution gave individuals the right to have access to computerized data and to request the removal of inaccurate data. Furthermore, only a judge could order wire-tapping or the opening of private correspondence. When it was necessary to collect judicial evidence in rural areas where there might not be a sufficient number of judges, arrangements were made to facilitate travel by judges to those areas. Under the new system in which indictments were drawn up by the new office known as the Fiscalia, all searches had to be authorized by the judicial office coordinating the investigation. 376. In Colombia, there was extensive freedom of expression of all political opinions and, since the television networks were State-owned/ an adjudication process established a fair distribution of programming time. A proposal had been introduced to establish an independent national board representing all groups in society to regulate television operations. The Constitution expressly prohibited censorship and the only function of the Film Classification Committee was to issue ratings for suggested audiences. With regard to freedom of assembly and association, the representative underlined that the new Constitution recognized the legality and independence of trade unions, eliminated barriers to their establishment and abrogated a general legislative prohibition on strikes in the public sector. Trade-union leaders whose lives had been threatened had been provided with armed escorts or authorized to carry weapons for self-defence. A programme had also been developed under which, in the past two years, more than 200 teachers facing similar threats had been transferred to new jobs in other areas. Since the promulgation of the new Constitution and the arrest of several drug traffickers with ties to right-wing terrorist groups, violence against journalists had ceased. 377. Another major change brought about by the new Constitution was the granting of full religious freedom. All churches and sects were now equal before the law, and religious minorities enjoyed special protection. The concordat between the Government of Colombia and the Holy See granting the Roman Catholic Church special status was consequently being modified to bring it into line with the new Constitution. The Roman Catholic Church, however, retained significant influence in matters concerning the family and education, although religious education in public schools had now become optional. Although there was no tradition in Colombia of direct participation in decision-making, two direct national referendums had been held, the first to decide whether a constituent assembly should be held and the second to decide on the membership, powers &nd procedures of the Constituent Assembly. -89-