Tolerance and Non-discrimination V iolations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and manifestations of hate and intolerance threaten stability and security in the OSCE region. While OSCE participating States have undertaken numerous commitments to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and other forms of intolerance, including against Muslims, much work remains to be done to foster democratic and pluralistic societies, where ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity is not only tolerated, but is truly respected and valued. Tolerance and non-discrimination have ranked high among the priorities of the past several OSCE chairmanships. Under Spain’s leadership in 2007, the Chairman-in-Office reappointed his three personal representatives dedicated to particular aspects of tolerance and nondiscrimination. A high-level OSCE Conference on “Combating Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding” was held in Bucharest, and there was a Chairmanship conference in Cordoba on the issue of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims. During the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), a special day on combating intolerance and discrimination and promoting mutual respect and understanding was held, which included a forward-looking discussion on the role of parliamentarians and political leaders in combating intolerance and hate crime. The year also saw the adoption of another Ministerial Council Decision on “Combating Intolerance and Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding”. Main Issues kk Hate-motivated crimes and violent manifestations of intolerance: Hate crimes involve violent expressions of bias; they may take the form of assault, murder, threats, or property damage, such as arson, desecration, or vandalism. Responding to hate crimes is problematic for a number of reasons. To begin with, most states lack accurate data about the nature and extent of hate crimes, which means that law enforcement and criminaljustice agencies are not armed with the information needed to combat such crimes. This is often compounded by the absence of effective legislation on hate crimes, which means that such cases are not distinguished from other criminal cases that lack bias motivation. Finally, even where legislation exists, there is often a lack of knowledge on the part of law enforcement and prosecuting bodies of techniques to prove bias motivation. kk Freedom of religion or belief: Across the OSCE region, many individuals and communities face restrictions on their right to freedom of religion or belief. Problems include infringements of the right to change, adopt, and renounce a religion or a belief, as well as limitations to the right to manifest one’s religion or belief. The latter category includes disruption or prohibition of worship even in private homes, as well as attacks or restrictions on places of worship. In addition, registration is often made a requirement for practising a religion or a belief, this condition being coupled with unnecessarily burdensome procedures that are often abused. Censorship of religious literature and bans on teaching a religion or a belief have also been reported. In some participating States, those who object to military service on grounds of religion or belief face restrictions and limitations to this right, which is punished with imprisonment. Developing Annual Report 2007 53