E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1 Page 38 146. These bombings were reportedly not the first time Iraqi Christians have come under attack in the past 14 months. Several Christian merchants have had their shops burnt down, allegedly because they sold alcohol. In particular, several incidents occurred around Christmas; in February, five Christian roadside vendors were shot in Basra; on 8 May 2003, two Christians were shot dead in Basra by suspected Islamic militants attempting to stamp out the sale of alcohol. The men, who were alcohol vendors in a district of the southern Iraqi city that is home to Armenian and Syrian Catholics, were allegedly shot within 10 minutes of each other in their shops by two men. Several more attacks on Christians in Baghdad and Mosul were reported to have taken place in June 2004. These events and inter-community tensions have led to an outflow of Christians from Basra to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR. 147. The Special Rapporteur also mentioned recent reports that indicated that Shiite Muslims living in the southern city of Latifiyah were thrown out of their homes by Sunni fighters, allegedly of Salafist background, who were trying to establish strict Sunni Islam in the city. They were told to go to the Shiite city of Nasiriyah, further south. According to these reports the fighters sent messages to families in Latifiyah telling them they would be killed if they did not leave. Moreover, it was reported that in early September 2004 two Shiite clerics, Sheikh Basher al-Jazaeri and Sheikh Kareem al-Bahadlei, were killed in separate incidents. Attacks on Shiite pilgrims and other civilians were also reported. A Shia shrine, Sayed Faraj, has been destroyed by Sunnites. Although policemen are still present in the town, they reportedly do not come to the aid of Shiites although Shia organizations have called on the Government to take steps to restore security in Latifiya. Israel 148. On 10 June 2004, the Special Rapporteur transmitted a communication to the Government of Israel in connection with information received according to which there had recently been obstruction in the renewal of visas for clergy (A3 visas) by Israeli authorities. Clergy visas were allegedly being denied or were renewed with severe limitations. A delay of months, often far beyond the expiration date of the old visas, in receiving a recommendation or a visa was also reportedly a common occurrence. Some visas would be issued for only months rather than the usual one to two years. The result was that many Christians remained in Israel illegally, affecting their ability to move about and do their work. It was feared that those remaining in Israel without a visa faced being arrested and deported and those who were leaving faced being denied re-entry at the airport. A more recent alarming situation was reportedly the refusal to renew the visas of many senior clergy simply because they were not senior leaders of a large parish or congregation. Kazakhstan 149. On 3 November 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent a communication to the Government of Kazakhstan in relation to a number of cases. On 7 June 2004, Vasili Kliver, pastor of a Baptist church in Aktobe, was found guilty under article 375, Part 1 (breaking the law on religious organizations), and article 525 of the Code of Administrative Offences (refusing to appear to give evidence when summoned by the procuracy) by Court No. 2 in Aktobe. He was reportedly fined twice the minimum