Epress.am News from Armenia
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the right to practice, choose, or change religious belief; however, the law places some restrictions on the religious freedom of members of minority religious groups, according to Armenia’s country profile in the US State Department 2010 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.
Continuing, the report says that Armenia’s Constitution and the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations establish separation of church and state but grant the Armenian Church official status as the national church.
According to the report, approximately 98% of the Republic of Armenia’s population is ethnic Armenian. An estimated 90% of citizens nominally belong to the Armenian Church, one of six ancient autocephalous Eastern churches, which has its spiritual center (Mother See) at Etchmiadzin.
Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include the following: Roman Catholic, Armenian Uniate (Mekhitarist) Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Armenian Evangelical Christian, Molokan, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, various groups of charismatic Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Yezidis (non-Muslim Kurds who practice Yezidism), Jews, Sunni Muslim Kurds, Shi’ite Muslims, Baha’is, and others.
Further, the 2007 Law on the Relations of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Church regulates the special relationship between the state and the Armenian Church and grants certain privileges to the Armenian Church that are not available to other religious groups.
The Law on Alternative Service allows conscientious objectors — subject to government panel approval — to perform either noncombatant military or labor service duties rather than serve as combat-trained military personnel. The law took effect in 2004 and applies to subsequent draftees and those serving prison terms for draft evasion. A 2006 amendment to the criminal code criminalizes evasion of alternative labor service. However, conscientious objectors regarded as unacceptable military control of the alternative labor service.
The Law on Education mandates that public schools offer a secular education. Only personnel authorized and trained by the government may teach in public schools. Courses in the history of the Armenian Church are part of the public school curriculum and are taught by public school teachers. All religious organizations may establish groups for religious instruction to train their members, utilizing facilities belonging to or set aside for them. The law grants the Armenian Church the right to organize voluntary religious classes in state education institutions using the facilities and resources of those institutions.
Throughout the reporting period, some religious groups reported that negative attitudes towards teachers and children involved in religious groups other than the Armenian Church continued at schools. The groups and local observers noted that such attitudes were more apparent during classes on the history of the Armenian Church, which they alleged contained elements of religious instruction. However, according to most religious groups, the situation improved during the reporting period. Government officials denied reports of intolerance and discrimination towards students of minority religious groups at schools and maintained that the Ministry of Education had not received such complaints.
The report also cited instances of restrictions on religious freedom
For instance, Christian Cultural Ministries International (CCMI), an NGO associated with the Yerevan Evangelical Church, claimed that the government hindered its charitable projects due to religious discrimination. CCMI claimed to have regularly implemented the same charitable program — distribution of small boxes of donated goods to children — for approximately 15 years. In Nov. 2009, the Government Commission Coordinating Charitable Programs denied the NGO’s application for charitable status, which confers certain tax privileges. An Armenian Church representative claimed that CCMI engaged in preaching and “soul hunting” (attempts to convert) during the distribution of gifts. CCMI denied this claim; the Government Commission, however, claimed that CCMI had violated the requirements of the Law on Charity by charging money for the gifts
In another case cited by the report, the Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation reported that it was unable to rent large premises for annual gatherings. The group reported that it had applied unsuccessfully to more than a dozen premises (mostly stadiums) that were privately owned or were owned or managed by state or local government bodies. In some instances the group had already signed contracts that were later revoked. The group alleged that the owners and managers of the premises were pressured by the Armenian Church and representatives of law enforcement bodies into turning down the requests of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
According to some observers, the general population expressed negative attitudes about all minority religious groups. According to local experts, however, these attitudes did not affect personal and neighborly relationships but rather constituted a general perception of minority religious groups as threats to the state. Minority religious groups at times continued to be targets of hostile sermons by Armenian Church clerics, and members of minority religious groups experienced societal discrimination and intolerance, including in the workplace.
Most media outlets continued to label religious groups other than the Armenian Church as “sects” in their publications and broadcasting. Various television stations continued to broadcast discussions in which representatives of the Armenian Church and other participants labeled religious minority groups as enemies of the state and national unity. As an example, the report cited a Nov 2009 H2 TV broadcast in which an Armenian Church cleric compared all “sects” (i.e., all religious organizations other than the Armenian Church) with “immoral women coming from US or European brothels… who cannot preach Christianity.”
The US State Department report concluded by noting that the US government discusses religious freedom with the government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. Further, US Embassy officials maintained close contact with the Catholicos (primate of the Armenian Church) at Etchmiadzin, leaders of other religious and ecumenical groups in the country, representatives of foreign-based religious groups and raised its concerns with the government when necessary.