E/CN.4/2001/0063 page 14 (c) There have been various judicial measures aimed at thwarting any attempt to make use of mosques for unlawful purposes.” 36. The Special Rapporteur thanks Egypt for the information concerning measures to combat the political exploitation of religion (particularly the posting of security personnel in places of worship) as part of a genuine medium- and long-term strategy for the prevention of religious extremism. Eritrea 37. Because conscientious-objector status is not recognized in the context of military service, Jehovah’s Witnesses are liable to prison terms of three years. This situation continues, and Eritrea does not appear to be contemplating any measures that would bring this policy into line with international law. Russian Federation 38. On 11 August 1999, in St. Petersburg, the Jehovah’s Witnesses reportedly applied for a permit to rebuild a religious centre. On 22 November 1999, the Governor’s Office allegedly replied that the St. Petersburg Jehovah’s Witnesses had enough religious centres to meet their needs and, moreover, because of the state of public opinion in the city, it would be inexpedient to open another centre. 39. The Russian Federation replied: “The matter referred to in the Special Rapporteur’s letter is exclusively technical in nature and is unrelated to the issue of freedom of religion. For the Special Rapporteur’s information, the facts are as follows: Block 3A Pogranichnika Garkovogo Street in St. Petersburg is a former municipal building, now vacant, that has been acquired by the head office of the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. On 15 August 1999 the congregation applied to a number of the city’s subdivisions and administrative services for authorization to renovate the building completely and turn it into a public meeting hall and place of worship. This application produced a series of responses from the various municipal authorities. In general, the authorities took the position that since the building in question was located in a residential area and in the immediate vicinity of housing complexes, permission to renovate the building and change its type of occupancy should be subject to the applicability of all regulations and requirements governing buildings or municipally-owned land. Those regulations and requirements specify, inter alia, that green spaces must be preserved, that additional water supply and drainage pipes must be installed, that access routes must be suitably reconfigured, and that certain urban planning work must be carried out. Furthermore, the authorities considered that the freely expressed views of the residents of the area should be taken into account.