E/CN.4/2003/66 page 8 24. The full text of the Chinese Government’s reply is circulated as a separate document of the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights. Egypt 25. The communication sent by the Special Rapporteur and the Egyptian Government’s reply are summarized in paragraphs 29 to 31 of the above-mentioned report. Eritrea 26. On 6 June 2002, churches other than Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Mekane Yesus (Lutheran) were reportedly closed down by decision of the Government. Among those already closed were allegedly two Buddhist temples and one Baha’i temple, as well as the Kale Hiwot church. The decision to close places of worship may be a reaction to pressure from the dominant Orthodox Church and/or outside Muslim forces within the context of the recent outbreak of evangelical fervour within the Protestant community. The Ministry of Information reportedly stated that from now on, Churches and other religious groups would not be allowed to function without being registered and their registration considered by a special government committee, which has allegedly not yet been set up. United States of America 27. See paragraphs 32 to 34 of the above-mentioned report. Georgia 28. The first of the communications sent to Georgia is summarized in paragraphs 35 and 36 of the above-mentioned report. The second, to which Georgia replied on 19 August 2002, concerns the following incidents. 29. Two Orthodox priests led a three-day attack on a Russian-language Pentecostal church in Tbilisi over the weekend of 5 to 7 July 2002. Reportedly, some hundred Pentecostals were present in the sanctuary, located on the ground floor of the Kalutsky family home, when a mob of 30 or 40 people burst in, beat people, frightened the children, stole Bibles, rummaged through people’s bags and made many threats. 30. Concerning this case, the Government replied that, on 5 July, two Orthodox priests went to the meeting of Pentecostals together with their congregations and did not allow the meeting to continue. The priests allegedly called upon the members of their flock not to abuse the participants physically, but to remove them from the hall. A similar incident occurred on 7 July 2002. According to N. Kalutski, no one was physically abused and no Bibles were stolen. Therefore, no complaint was lodged with law-enforcement bodies. The prosecutor’s office has been instructed to verify whether the rights of the religious minority in question were abused and to make a decision regarding the institution of criminal proceedings.