CRC/C/SAU/CO/3-4 general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, in which the Committee underlines that children’s right to freely express their views constitutes one of the most essential components of children’s dignity and that a family where children can freely express their views and have them given due weight from the earliest ages provides an important model and prepares the child to exercise the right to be heard in the wider society. The Committee recommends that the State party conduct programmes and awareness-raising activities to promote the meaningful and empowered participation of all children within the family, community and schools, including within student councils, paying particular attention to girls and children in vulnerable situations. D. Civil rights and freedoms (arts. 7, 8 and 13-17) Right to a nationality 23. While noting the information provided by the State party on the amendments to articles 7 and 12 of the Citizenship Act aimed at naturalizing the children of Saudi women married to non-Saudis and on the issuance in January 2012 of the implementing regulations, the Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party review its legislation on nationality in order to ensure that nationality can be transmitted to children through both the maternal and paternal line without distinction (see CRC/C/SAU/CO/2, para. 39), in particular for those children who would otherwise be stateless. The Committee also recommends that the State party consider acceding to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and initiate without delay a process together with international partners, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to assess the number of stateless children and their families and address their status through a naturalization process. Freedom of opinion and expression 24. The Committee reminds the State party that any restriction imposed on children’s right to freedom of opinion and expression should be defined in clear legal terms and should never lead to human rights violations such as arbitrary arrest, torture and killings. The Committee urges the State party to ensure respect for children’s right to freedom of opinion and expression as guaranteed by the Convention and, to this aim, to repeal laws and regulations that broadly restrict that right, including the vaguely defined offences of “apostasy”, “insulting God or the Prophet” or “corrupting the Earth”, for which children can be condemned to severe sentences, including the death penalty. The Committee urges the State party to immediately release Ali Mohammed al-Nimr and Dawoud Hussain al-Marhoon, as well as all other children sentenced to death for the exercise of their right to freedom of opinion and expression. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion 25. The Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion by taking effective measures to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and by promoting religious tolerance and dialogue in society (see CRC/C/SAU/CO/2, para. 41). The Committee also recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures to ensure that children can freely practise their religion without undue interference from the State authorities, including in public places of worship, and ensure that private religious gatherings are not arbitrarily raided and 6