E/CN.4/1995/91
page 134
The Special Rapporteur considers that deep religiousness may be the
source not only of great spirituality, but also of real difficulties. The
latter should be dealt with through dialogue, tolerance and education. Any
repression of religion can lead to greater religiousness, or even, in some
cases, a form of extremism, despite the apparently non-violent nature of
Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular, the values of which
might be severely tried by changes to the demographic data of Tibet. The
Special Rapporteur recommends that the balances and compromises required by
social dynamics be reached, so as to avoid the deeply religious being tempted
by religious extremism.
The Special Rapporteur strongly recommends that religious figures who
have served their sentences for "counter-revolutionary acts" should no longer
be banned from entering places of worship. Furthermore, he recommends that a
reasonable balance be worked out between the number of students of religion
and the quality, duration and time set aside for their instruction. Likewise,
the basically religious function of places of worship and the aims of making
them financially independent should be made reasonably compatible.
As for more general recommendations about policy and practice concerning
tolerance of and non-discrimination against religion and belief throughout
China, the Special Rapporteur wishes to stress the importance of giving State
officials and judges adequate human-rights training, especially on the subject
of religious freedom. He recommends that the technical assistance and
advisory services of the Centre for Human Rights should help in this area.
The Special Rapporteur also recommends that the principal texts on
religious freedom should be posted in the administrative services concerned.
Furthermore, the publication and distribution of a compendium of texts on
religious freedom, including implementing instructions, is strongly
recommended. The distribution of documentation about human rights to all
religious institutions would also be desirable. The Special Rapporteur also
recommends that citizens and institutions be informed about appeal procedures
available in the event of a refusal to register religious organizations.
Education about tolerance of and non-discrimination against religion and
belief should be considered and introduced as soon as possible, as a way of
combating all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or
belief. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur urges the creation of
universities offering religious instruction as a main or subsidiary subject.
More broadly, the Special Rapporteur recommends that a culture of human rights
and in particular of tolerance should be spread by promoting the creation of
human rights clubs in universities, which would strive chiefly to further the
development of tolerance of and non-discrimination against religion and
belief.