A/HRC/10/8/Add.1 page 24 Observations 84. The Special Rapporteur is grateful for the response of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. With regard to the question of “cults” or “sects”, she would like to refer to the chapter on “Religious minorities and new religious movements” in her report to the fourth session of the Human Rights Council (see A/HRC/4/21, paras. 43-47). The Special Rapporteur reiterates her predecessor’s assessment that, apart from the legal courses available against harmful activities, “it is not the business of the State or any other group or community to act as the guardian of people’s consciences and encourage, impose or censure any religious belief or conviction” (E/CN.4/1997/91, para. 99). Similarly, in its general comment No. 22, the Human Rights Committee stated that “the terms ‘belief’ and ‘religion’ are to be broadly construed. Article 18 [of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] is not limited in its application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs with institutional characteristics or practices analogous to those of traditional religions. The Committee therefore views with concern any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for any reason, including the fact that they are newly established, or represent religious minorities that may be the subject of hostility on the part of a predominant religious community.” 85. The Special Rapporteur also would like to emphasize that limitations to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief are strictly defined in international law, for example in articles 18 (3), 19 (3) and 20 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this regard, she would like to refer to the report on the expert seminar on “Freedom of expression and advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”, convened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and held in Geneva on 2 and 3 October 2008 (see A/HRC/10/31/Add.3). Urgent appeal sent on 21 January 2008 jointly with the Chairperson of the Working Group on arbitrary detention 86. The Special Procedures mandate holders brought to the attention of the Government information they had received concerning the arrest and continued detention of Ms. Haleh Roohi, Ms. Raha Sabet and Mr. Sassan Taqva. These three members of the Bahá’í community in the city of Shiraz have already been the subject of two joint communications sent on 9 June 2006 and 13 June 2006 (see A/HRC/4/21/Add.1, paras. 195-203 and the summary of the Government’s reply in paras. 204-205). According to new allegations, subsequent to the arrest and temporary detention of Ms. Haleh Roohi, Ms. Raha Sabet and Mr. Sassan Taqva in May 2006, a court in Shiraz sentenced each of them in August 2007 to a total of four years’ imprisonment. They were accused of having engaged in indirect teaching of the Bahá’í faith, on the grounds that their educational programme was based on a Bahá’í-inspired publication characterized by the court as having been produced by the Bahá’ís “to teach the Bahá’í children how to teach their Faith”. The court argued that the permit for the educational programme had been obtained by deceiving the city’s cultural and executive organizations and that the intention had in fact been to teach the faith indirectly. Their sentence consisted of three years for organizing illegal groups and an additional year for teaching on behalf of groups that are against the Islamic regime. 87. On 19 November 2007, the three members of the Bahá’í community were told by telephone to go to the Shiraz office of the Ministry of Information to retrieve items that had been