UNITED NATIONS Press Release

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UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF TO VISIT THE UNITED KINGDOM

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31 May 2007 Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to the United Nations Human Rights Council, will visit the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 4 to 15 June 2007 at the invitation of the Government. During her visit the Special Rapporteur will hold talks with Government officials responsible for matters of religion or belief and will meet with representatives of religious organizations, non-governmental organizations of relevance to her mandate and individuals. A report on the visit, including conclusions and recommendations, will be submitted to the Human Rights Council. Ms. Jahangir, a lawyer in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, was appointed Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in 2004 by the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Her mandate consists of protecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief in the light of, among other instruments, the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. For further information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and copies of available reports, please consult the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/religion/index.htm.