Date Type Case No Country MMR 5/2015 11/05/2015 Myanmar JAL Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted Discrimination against women; Freedom of religion; Health; Minority issues; Myanmar; Racism; Alleged discriminatory nature of a package of four Bills seeking to “protect race and religion”. According to the information received, the Bills discriminate against ethnic and religious minorities, as well as against women. The Religious Conversion Bill establishes a State-regulated system for changing religion, which contravenes the right to freedom of religion and belief. The Population Control Healthcare Bill adopts a selective and coercive approach to improving living standards. This includes a potential requirement of birth spacing that would violate women’s right to choose freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and could be used to target areas with large minority communities. The Buddhist Women’s Special Marriage Bill regulates interfaith marriages between Buddhist women and nonBuddhist men and is discriminatory on many grounds. The Monogamy Bill adopts a restrictive and discriminatory approach to marriage regulation. The Religious Conversion Bill was the subject of a previous communication sent on 19 June 2014, see A/HRC/28/85, case no. MMR 4/2014. USA 6/2015 African descent; 11/05/2015 United States of Health; Toxic JAL America waste; Reply Allegation that members of a family in the United States of America suffered and continue to suffer from the adverse impact of toxic mercury which was used as a form of treatment for a sexually transmitted disease in the Rosenwald Fund Study. According to the information received, the Rosenwald Fund Study was launched in 1929 by the Government and involved approximately 40,000 African-Americans from six southern states. It is alleged that participants of the study, including Mr. Chester Noel and other members of his family, have suffered from the adverse effect of mercury and that multiple generations of the Noel family, including Ms. Helen Noel, as the descendants of the original victims exposed to mercury continue to suffer from adverse health impacts. Furthermore, it is alleged that the Government has not investigated these allegations and as a result the subjects of the Rosenwald Fund Study and their descendants have not received an effective remedy. A/HRC/30/27 49