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["Beckett, John" <BeckettJ@gc.adventist.org>]

ANN Bulletin
Adventist News Network
Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters
January 11, 2000
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U.N. Human Rights Ombudsman Cites Adventist Cases
New York, New York, USA. ... [ANN] 

The Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Dr.
Abdelfattah Amor, in his report to the U.N. General Assembly, has cited a
number of cases of human rights violations directed against Seventh-day
Adventists.

In his report transmitted to the General Assembly on December 9, Amor
includes: the arrest and $1000 fine of an Adventist worker by government
authorities in Uzbekistan; the long detention in jail of an Adventist pastor
in Sri Lanka on allegations of terrorism; the confiscation of religious
books from and registration refusal of the Adventist Church in Turkmenistan;
the refusal to rent public buildings to Adventists in Belarus; the arrest
and imprisonment of three Adventist members in Cape Verde; and the request
for restitution of confiscated property and permission for the Adventist
Church to operate in Syria.

"To sum up," concludes Amor, "despite some limited progress in matters of
religion and belief, especially since the end of the cold war, the Special
Rapporteur finds not only that manifestations of intolerance and
discrimination based on religion and belief persist but also that religious
extremism is on the rise."

Responding, Dr. John Graz, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty
for the Adventist Church, expressed appreciation for the attention given to
Adventists in the Special Rapporteur's report.

"We are gratified that the Adventist voice is being heard at the level of
the United Nations," said Graz. "We are committed to freedom of religion and
belief for all, and are glad to support the work of the Special Rapporteur.
We commend him for his excellent report and for his personal commitment to
religious freedom and his openness towards religious minorities." [Jonathan
Gallagher]

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