A/HRC/10/8/Add.1 page 7 this context, she has addressed the freedom of religion or belief of detainees in her 2005 report to the General Assembly (see A/60/399, paras. 69-91). She would like to emphasize that persons deprived of their liberty are in a particularly vulnerable situation, also with regard to freedom of religion or belief. It is crucial to provide the personnel of detention facilities with adequate training, raising awareness and enhancing their sensitivity about their duty to promote and respect international human rights standards for the treatment of prisoners, in particular the right to freedom of religion or belief. China Urgent appeal sent on 4 October 2007 jointly with the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression 12. The Special Procedures mandate holders brought to the attention of the Government information they had received regarding Kunkhen, an artist, and Mr. Lobsang Phuntsok, a 30-year-old monk of the Lithang Monastery. According to the information received, Mr. Lobsang Phuntsok was arrested on 15 September 2007 following a raid carried out at his residence in the monastery by officials from the Lithang County Public Bureau Security. He was arrested on allegations of having established close ties with an artist named Kunkhen. Kunkhen was arrested on 22 August 2007 by Lithang County Public Bureau Security officials for having taken pictures of Mr. Runggye Adak on 1 August 2007 when he was addressing a large Tibetan crowd gathered for the annual Lithang horse-race festival (see A/HRC/7/10/Add.1, paras. 69-74). The exact whereabouts of Kunkhen and Mr. Lobsang Phuntsok and the charges held against them remain unknown. In view of their incommunicado detention concern was expressed as regards their physical and psychological integrity. Response from the Government dated 21 December 2007 13. The Government of China indicated that it had carefully examined the matters referred to in the communication and wished to submit the following response. On 22 August 2007, Kunkhen was taken into criminal custody, in accordance with the law, by the Garzê prefecture public security bureau, on suspicion of espionage and unlawfully supplying intelligence to bodies outside the country. On 12 September 2007, his arrest was approved by the Garzê prefecture people’s procuratorate. On the same day, Lobsang Phuntsok was taken into criminal custody, in accordance with the law, by the Lithang county public security bureau, on suspicion of conducting activities designed to foment division of the State. Because the circumstances of his case involved only slight danger to State security they were not deemed sufficient to warrant a criminal penalty. On 10 October 2007, the labour re-education management committee of the Sichuan provincial people’s government, acting pursuant to the relevant provisions of the State Council resolution on labour re-education issues, ratified by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Council, ordered him to serve a term of one year and six months’ labour re-education. 14. The Government of China emphasized that it abided by the law in protecting the freedom of religion or belief and the freedom of expression of citizens. Furthermore, it referred to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights instruments which contain provisions to the effect that rights and freedoms must be subject to the restrictions prescribed by law.

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