A/HRC/15/53 13. On 1 January 2010, the Sunni Imam of the Riyadh Mosque, Saudi Arabia, delivered a Friday prayer speech in the Al-Bourdi Mosque in which he allegedly called for the elimination of all Shia believers in the world, including those residing in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, he reportedly stated that Shia believers were not true Muslims, that their doctrine was based on blasphemous principles and that they were remnants of an old Persian religion. One week earlier, the Imam, while wearing a Saudi military uniform, reportedly urged Saudi soldiers in the border area with Yemen to kill all Shias they can see in their fight against al-Houthi rebels. 14. On 29 May 2010, during Friday prayers, gunmen armed with grenades attacked two mosques of the Ahmadiyyah community in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. According to reports, at least 70 members of the Ahmadiyyah community were killed in these targeted attacks and reportedly hundreds of Ahmadi worshippers were held hostage in one of the mosques. (b) Observations by the Special Rapporteur on acts of violence, or incitement thereto, against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief 15. The Special Rapporteur strongly condemns all acts of violence, or incitement thereto, against individuals based on religion or belief and calls upon States to take all necessary and appropriate measures to investigate these acts, prosecute and sanction the perpetrators in accordance with international human rights law, and compensate the victims. The Special Rapporteur recalls that acts of violence against individuals, including those committed on the basis of the religion or belief of the individuals, are strictly prohibited in international human rights law. Relevant standards include articles 3 and 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which respectively stipulate that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person” and that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. Articles 6, 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights also guarantee the right to life, the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the rights to liberty and security of person. 16. As regards relevant international standards concerning incitement to acts of violence, the Special Rapporteur would like to refer to article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, according to which “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law”. 17. In addition to the above, in its resolution 64/164, the General Assembly emphasized that “States have an obligation to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence against persons belonging to religious minorities, regardless of the perpetrator, and that failure to do so may constitute a human rights violation” and urged States “to step up their efforts to protect and promote freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, and to this end … to ensure that no one within their jurisdiction is deprived of the right to life, liberty or security of person because of religion or belief and that no one is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or arbitrary arrest or detention on that account and to bring to justice all perpetrators of violations of these rights”. 2. (a) Acts of discrimination, or incitement thereto, against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief Cases received by the Special Rapporteur 18. On 25 December 2009, a family doctor in Utrecht, Netherlands, allegedly refused to allow a Muslim woman wearing a niqab into his consultation room. The woman, GE.10-14999 5