On October 1, 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses in a case concerning three Kingdom Hall building projects in Yerevan. In its decision, the ECHR found that authorities in Armenia had, without a legal basis, rejected the Witnesses’ applications to build Kingdom Halls and violated their right to freedom of worship.
In 2009, our brothers purchased three plots of land to construct Kingdom Halls in neighborhoods across Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan. Several years later, in December 2012, they applied to the mayor’s office for permission to begin construction on all three sites. Officials cited complaints raised by neighbors and rejected the applications. After several unsuccessful appeals before courts in Armenia, our brothers brought the case before the ECHR in January 2016.
In its judgment, the Court found that the authorities lacked a legal basis for refusing the applications and presented no proof of the alleged complaints. For these reasons, the ECHR ruled that officials had violated our brothers’ right to freedom of worship under the European Convention on Human Rights. As part of its ruling, the Court awarded the Witnesses compensation in the amount of 4,500 euros ($5,060 U.S.) as well as their legal fees.
After the ruling was announced, Brother Artur Ispiryan, who serves at the Armenia branch and assisted with legal matters pertaining to the case, said: “As the number of Witnesses in Armenia continues to grow, so does the need for more suitable places of worship. Currently, there are ten Kingdom Halls in Yerevan, but at least eight more are still needed. We are grateful for this positive decision by the Court, which will undoubtedly help us in obtaining permits for future Kingdom Hall construction.”
We rejoice along with our brothers and sisters in Armenia at this important legal victory. We pray that Jehovah will continue to bless his people worldwide as they build and freely use Kingdom Halls for spiritual education and encouragement.—Hebrews 10:24, 25.
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