Controversy over the Armenian Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations Cover Image

Kontrowersje wokół armeńskiej ustawy o wolności sumienia i organizacjach religijnych
Controversy over the Armenian Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations

Author(s): Renata Król-Mazur
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, Public Law, Theology and Religion
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: The Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Organizations; the right to religious freedom; Republic of Armenia; Armenian Apostolic Church; religious organizations

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the basic legal act on the right to religious freedom The Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Organizations, which was enacted in Armenia in the early 1990s and which, in a slightly modified version, is still in force today. In Armenia, the close link between ethnicity and religious affiliation (Armenian Apostolic Church) makes it difficult to adopt legal solutions that would guarantee the full realization of the right to religious freedom. The Armenian Apostolic Church considers religious freedom as an anti-national provision, and therefore qualifies all other religious organizations as "sects" and anti-national structures. The article provides a detailed analysis of the Religious Denominations Act, indicates which of its provisions are most controversial and shows how the adopted legal solutions differ from the international standards.

  • Issue Year: 74/2021
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 229-260
  • Page Count: 32
  • Language: Polish