A/59/366 the United States that would restrict the right of free speech and association protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States”. 82. The statements referred to by the Special Rapporteur are not illegal under United States law. Although the United States Government finds them to be misguided and repugnant, the Government neither prohibits nor regulates speech merely as a result of disapproval of the ideas expressed. The United States criminal justice system rather penalizes specific unlawful actions as opposed to punishing speech itself. The Government’s preferred approach to addressing hate speech is to confront it openly, to denounce it, and to promote tolerance, equality and similar ideals through competing speech. In this respect, it referred to a number of examples that illustrate the Government’s commitment to free speech and religious tolerance. Uzbekistan 83. On 15 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent to the Government of Uzbekistan the following allegations: (a) Clergy were allegedly denied access to death row prisoners, in violation of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which specifically allows those sentenced to death to meet a member of the clergy. Two death row prisoners, Mr. Yevgeni Gugnin and Mr. Vazgen Arutyunyants, have reportedly appealed to have priests sent to them; but have had no replies. In addition, authorities have also allegedly prevented death row prisoners from having copies of religious literature of their choice; (b) On 18 September 2003, a Jehovah’s Witness meeting in the town of Chirchik was allegedly raided by secret police on the grounds that the house was not registered as a church building; (c) On 20 December 2003, two Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mrs. Gulya Boikova and Mrs. Parakhat Narmanova, were arrested, insulted and threatened with rape by police in the town of Karsh; (d) An official in the town administration of Muinak in the autonomous Karakalpakstan Republic allegedly helped to have a Protestant sports teacher sacked from a local school on 22 July 2003 after he refused to renounce his faith; (e) An unregistered Protestant church in the village of Ahmad Yassavy has allegedly been closed down on the orders of the deputy head of the Upper Chirchik district administration. Police officers and local officials allegedly burst into the Sunday service of the Friendship Church on 7 September 2003, took down the names of all those present, sealed the church and told the congregation that they would be prosecuted; (f) The Peace Protestant Church of Nukus was raided by police during worship on 24 August 2003, for the fourth time since it had its registration revoked in August 2000. Allegedly, two of its leaders, Mr. Khym-Mun Kim and Mr. Konstantin Kmit, were subsequently fined five times the minimum monthly wage. The Church leaders have reportedly tried to have their church reinstated but to no avail; (g) Local authorities are reportedly preventing members of a local Baptist church from meeting for worship in the village of Khalkabad in the Pap district of Namangan region. 17