UNITED NATIONS, Oct 25: An independent UN expert on Monday called on all nations to respect and protect the rights of prisoners to freedom of religion.

In a report submitted to the UN General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, said she had received a “growing number” of reports of alleged abuses of these rights against persons deprived of their liberty, according to the report, released on Tuesday.

She underscored that a person’s detention or incarceration may not include deprivation of his or her right to freedom of religion or belief. “These standards must be applied to every prisoner regardless of his or her religion or belief and to all detention facilities,” she said.

Ms Jahangir also recommended that the principles pertaining to the right to freedom of religion or belief be brought to the attention of the relevant authorities.

“The religious beliefs of a detainee should under no circumstances be used by the authorities against the detainee in order, for instance, to extract information from him or her,” she declares.

Citing the deaths of several people following allegations earlier this year that the holy Quran had been desecrated in detention facilities, she emphasized that “the respect of religious freedom has an impact that is not limited to prison walls”.