A/HRC/28/27 existing blasphemy legislation particularly targeting minorities and a lack of protective measures for them in Pakistan,” added the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.4 48. On 2 August 2014, on the occasion of the Roma Holocaust seventieth anniversary commemoration, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, together with the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, called for stronger measures and initiatives to keep the memory of the Roma Holocaust alive and to enable survivors, Roma communities and others to mark it in a recognized and dignified manner. 49. On 25 July 2014, in a press statement and on the situation in Iraq, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, stated that ethnic and religious minorities were bearing the brunt of the conflict and that if protection measures were not taken urgently, the impact of the conflict on minorities would be “devastating and irreversible”. Ms. Izsák added that she was gravely concerned about the physical safety of several minority groups in the country, including Christians, Shia, Shabaks, Turkmen and Yazidis, who were “subjected to abductions, killings or the confiscation of their property by extremist groups”, and some of whom were given “an ultimatum that by 19 July, they should convert, pay a tax, leave the city, or face execution”.5 50. On 23 July 2014, Ms. Izsák and Mr. Beyani explained that many of the individuals displaced in Nigeria belonged to ethnic and religious minorities who had been victims of violence. 51. On 2 July 2014, three United Nations special rapporteurs, on freedom of religion or belief, minority issues, and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, called on Sri Lanka to adopt urgent measures to stop the promotion of racial and faith-based hatred, and violence against Muslim and Christian communities by Buddhist groups with extremist views, and to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice.6 52. In a news release on 2 June 2014, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues stressed that “Pakistan must urgently put in place protective measures to ensure the personal security of Ahmadiyya Muslims, as well as any other religious minorities living in the country, under threat of hostility and violence by militant extremists.” 7 53. In a statement delivered on 15 April 2014, at the end of her country visit to the United Kingdom that took place between 31 March and 15 April 2014, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, noted that “considering their higher rates of victimization, the specific experiences and needs of black and minority ethnic women and girls who have experienced violence need to be acknowledged.” She stated that “the disproportionate effect that the legal aid cuts are having on black and minority ethnic women was consistently shared with me during the mission”. She asserted that “participation in public life is further impacted for people from black and ethnic minority groups, who are much more likely to be in situations of poverty, with an income of less than 60 per cent of the median household income. Finally, the 4 5 6 7 12 Available from http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14942&LangID=E. Available from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?LangID=E&NewsID=14904. Available from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14812&LangID=E. Available from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14658&.