one’s religion or belief”.48 The constant threat of being persecuted for converting from Islam or for belonging to a religion not recognised by the State, may well amount to attempts from the Iranian State to prevent individuals from choosing a religion of their own choice or converting to another religion or belief. In the context of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the Constitution stipulates that Shia Islam is the state religion and that the State only recognises certain religions, this situation results with the imposition of restrictions on the basis of one’s religion or belief. In practice, these restrictions may well amount to coercion to renounce or to convert to a minority faith, and as such are incompatible with Article 18 of the Covenant. The Human Rights Committee stipulated that the “recognition of a religion as a State religion should not result in any impairment of the enjoyment of any of the rights under Article 18, nor in any discrimination against adherents of other religions or non-believers, since the right to freedom of religion and belief and the prohibition of discrimination do not depend on the recognition as an official religion or belief”. 49 Iranian penal sanctions, policies and practices instituted against religious minorities may well amount to attempts to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert. The Human Rights Committee has stated that such conducts are inconsistent with Article 18 of the ICCPR.50 Additionally, the imposition of special restrictions on the practice of other faiths, or that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief in Iran, violate Article 26 of the ICCPR. Recommendation Status: This recommendation has NOT been implemented. 48 UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), CCPR General Comment No. 22: Article 18 (Freedom of Thought, Conscience or Religion), 30 July 1993, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.4, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fb22.html 49 Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations, 3 August 1993, CCPR/C/79/Add.25 https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CCPR%2fC%2f79%2fAdd.25&Lang=en 50 CCPR General Comment No. 22: Article 18 https://www.refworld.org/docid/453883fb22.html 7