A/HRC/25/66 H. Prevention of violence and protection of the security of religious minorities 53. States have the responsibility to protect human rights and security for all and to create conditions of peace and stability. They must act appropriately and rapidly to protect the rights and security of persons belonging to religious minorities under threat, and prosecute anyone who commits, supports or incites violence against them. 54. All States should ratify and implement the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which criminalizes acts committed with intent to destroy — in whole or in part — national, ethnic, racial or religious groups. They should adopt the policy options for the prevention of incitement to atrocity crimes that were developed by the Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. 55. Where necessary, States should cooperate actively with existing United Nations early warning mechanisms such as the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, concerning the prevention of violence against persons belonging to religious minorities. They should also exchange good practices in this regard. 56. Preventive measures should be taken against acts of violence directed against persons or religious sites belonging to religious minorities. In situations of extreme risk, appropriate preventive measures should be rapidly deployed by law enforcement bodies and adapted as the situation evolves. 57. States should ensure that all cases of intimidation, harassment, persecution and other serious human rights violations against persons belonging to religious minorities, including through the use of Internet tools and platforms, are thoroughly and immediately investigated, and that the perpetrators are punished. Appropriate measures, including legal assistance, should be made available to minority religious groups as required in order to document cases of violence or intimidation, and to effectively prosecute those who commit attacks on them and communal violence. There should be provision for adequate rehabilitation and compensation for victims of communal violence. 58. States should take comprehensive measures against discrimination, intolerance, and — most notably — hostility or violence, torture and killings on the grounds of religion or belief. National legislation conforming to relevant international standards should be adopted, where necessary, in order to create precise and coherent legal bases for condemning perpetrators, bringing them to justice and punishing them, for all acts of violence. 59. The negative portrayal of religious minorities in the media or in official or political discourse has a significant influence on how they may be perceived by the population in general, and should be addressed. Where such discourse amounts to hate speech or incitement to religious hatred, appropriate legal penalties should be enforced, in conformity with international standards. 60. States should take all necessary measures to ensure that hate speech has no place in public discourse, including in the political sphere and the media, and that the effects of certain policies, in particular anti-terrorism laws, do not arbitrarily target specific religious minorities. 61. In conflict situations, special attention must be paid to the situation and security of persons belonging to vulnerable religious minorities. Efforts should be made to fully reintegrate, with dignity, religious communities that have been internally displaced during conflict, to allow access to all places of worship and other religious sites, and to ensure the protection of religious minorities present on the territory. Religious minorities from all 10