A/HRC/10/8/Add.1 page 31 contempt of court. On the way to Jweideh Prison in Amman, he collapsed due to his injuries following the assault. He was hospitalized and released on bail the following day. At his court hearing on 27 March 2008, Mr. Abbad refused to deny his faith and return to Islam. Lawyers advised him that he would lose the court case, and therefore custody of his children, if he did not deny his conversion. Mr. Abbad and his family fled from Jordan on 28 March 2008. His father subsequently initiated the procedure to have Mr. Abbad’s marriage dissolved. 114. Reportedly, in a previous case dated 16 September 2004, also involving a conversion to Christianity, the West Amman Islamic Court found a man guilty of apostasy and subsequently his marriage was annulled, he was stripped of his rights as a husband and father, and all documents he had ever signed were annulled. Observations 115. The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has not received a reply from the Government of Jordan concerning the above mentioned allegations. She would like to recall that article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion “includes freedom to change his religion or belief” and article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the right “to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice”. Furthermore, in its general comment No. 22 (1993), the Human Rights Committee explains in more detail “that the freedom to ‘have or to adopt’ a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one’s current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views, as well as the right to retain one’s religion or belief. Article 18.2 [of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert. Policies or practices having the same intention or effect, such as, for example, those restricting access to education, medical care, employment or the rights guaranteed by article 25 and other provisions of the Covenant, are similarly inconsistent with article 18.2. The same protection is enjoyed by holders of all beliefs of a non-religious nature.” 116. The Special Rapporteur also would like to refer to paragraph 9 (a) of Human Rights Council resolution 6/37, which urges States to “ensure that their constitutional and legislative systems provide adequate and effective guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief to all without distinction, inter alia, by the provision of effective remedies in cases where the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, or the right to practice freely one’s religion, including the right to change one’s religion or belief, is violated.” Kazakhstan Communication sent on 21 November 2008 117. The Special Rapporteur brought to the attention of the Government information she had received that the Upper Chamber of Parliament (Senate) had approved on 7 November 2008 amendments to the draft law on “Amendments and Additions to some Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Issues of Religious Freedom and Religious Organizations”. The revised draft was sent back to the Lower Chamber of Parliament for its approval. Reportedly,