ARMENIA: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DEBATE FLARES, CRITICS SAY THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS OF LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS
Gayane Abrahamyan
EurasiaNet
Feb 24 2009
NY
Proposed amendments to a law on religion in Armenia are stoking an
intense debate over religious freedom and church-state relations. Some
critics contend that the wording of the draft law provides a basis for
persecution of political dissenters and religious minorities. Others
warn of a looming theocracy. But the amendments’ sponsor, a member of
the governing Republican Party of Armenia, denies any nefarious intent.
Under the proposed amendments to the Law on Freedom of Conscience
and Religious Organizations, people who proselytize without official
permission would be subject to criminal penalties. Specifically,
those who use "physical, moral or psychological pressure" or offer
"material support" to encourage others to join religious organizations
would face a year-long prison term, or a fine equal to 500 minimum
salaries, about 15 million dram or $50,000. The law would apply to
individuals "persecuting a person at home, the office, vacation areas,
or other places, by phone or by other means."
The amendments would also increase from 200 to 500 the number
of members a religious organization must have to be registered
officially. In addition, the legislative changes would enable
representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenia’s predominant
faith, to work with the government "in cases specified by law."
A vote on the amendments, originally scheduled for February 23, has
been postponed "because there are many suggestions that need to be
discussed and included in the law," amendments author Armen Ashotian,
a Republican Party MP, told EurasiaNet.
Annoyance with the door-to-door work of missionaries appears to have
prompted the proposed changes.
"We remember being stopped in the streets or having someone obstinately
knocking on our doors and persuading us of the rightness of the
doctrine they propose almost every day," said Ashotian. "It is not
seen as a hunt for human souls if it happens just once, but the law
establishes the right to take the visitor to court if such practices
repeat themselves."
The practice "needs to be regulated," argued Ashotian, who claimed
that religious conversions regularly prompt suicides in Armenia. A
police spokesperson could not confirm the claim.
The restrictions will not affect religious organizations that
represent Armenia’s ethnic minorities, such as Yazidis, Jews, Russians,
Ukrainians and Assyrians, or Catholic Armenians.
There are 64 officially registered religious organizations in Armenia,
including some Christian denominations that place a heavy emphasis
on missionary work, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. No
current official records exist for the number of members.
The amendments’ lack of a clear definition for "moral or psychological
pressure" and offers of "material support" prompt some opponents of
the bill to fear that the changes, if passed, could serve as a tool of
repression. "Today, when the political situation is so tense, the law
may be used to punish those politically active people who are members
of religious organizations [other than the Armenian Apostolic Church],"
commented Avetik Ishkhanian, chairman of the Helsinki Civil Assembly,
a human rights organization.
Human rights activists see the proposed amendments as a means for
strengthening the Armenian Apostolic Church to the detriment of other
faiths. "Several months ago, the law limited freedom of assembly, then
it was freedom of expression . . . Now, it’s freedom of conscience,"
said Stepan Danielian, chairman of Yerevan’s Cooperation for Democracy
Center. "This means Armenia is moving toward theocracy," Danielian
added. Representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church claim that
98 percent of Armenia’s population of almost 3 million are members;
non-governmental organizations make lower estimates.
Ashotian disputes Danielian’s suggestion that incumbent authorities
seek to officially establish the Apostolic church in order to tighten
control over society. "The law does not target anyone. People can
continue professing their religions. We just want to regulate the
field to prevent sectarians from misleading people," Ashotian said.
Ashotian contended that the Armenian Apostolic Church occupied a key
role in Armenian culture and thus it deserved to be "supported by
legislation to keep its position."
One opposition member zeroes in on the apparent contradiction
contained in the prohibition against providing "material support"
– an activity also undertaken by the Armenian Apostolic Church, he
contends. "Charity is a part of religious activities, including those
of the Armenian Apostolic Church," said Heritage Party member Vardan
Khachatrian. "Providing support to people is one of the [religious]
organizations’ missions, so should they be punished for that?"
Khachatrian contends that the amendments, if passed, could be used
indiscriminately; grounds would be provided "to prosecute tens of
thousands of people," he claimed.
"This law will further divide our society," he said. "It is politically
divided after the events of March 1, and the law will deepen the
schism by inciting religious intolerance." [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive].
The Republican Party’s Ashotian countered that those concerns "may
apply to any law!"
"I had good intentions when I wrote the draft, so I am not responsible
for the way the law is implemented," he said, adding that the
legislation will be sent to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission
for review. International organizations have not yet responded to
the proposed changes.
One religious leader told EurasiaNet that he has already met with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to share his concerns.
Sargsyan, who heads the Republican Party, was "amazed" by the
proposed amendments, claimed Dr. Rene Levonian, head of the Armenian
Evangelical Church, which has some 100,000 members. "[H]e expected
‘only minor changes’ in the draft, so I suggested that the adoption
of the amendments be postponed."
Other groups, however, argue that the changes do not go far enough. The
One Nation Party, a political party that organizes rallies against
religious groups that it terms sects, claims that organizations like
the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which decline military service, "aim to
destroy Armenia, hiding behind the name of religious organizations."
Many Armenians support that belief. "We need a new and stricter
law. We are a country with a small population and a religious schism
or refusal to serve in the army may be devastating for us," commented
Country of Law Party parliamentarian Hovhannes Margarian.
Opposition Heritage Party member Khachatrian, however, believes
Armenia may face further problems at the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe if the amendments are passed. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "The country’s reputation in the
world is so low today," commented Khachatrian. "We will deepen the
crisis if we pass the amendments."
Editor’s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for the online
ArmeniaNow.com weekly in Yerevan.