Imprisonment and violence appear to be the daily threat to Jehovah's Witnesses in Armenia and all because of their religious beliefs and despite laws to the contrary.
Despite Armenia’s pledge to promote religious freedom, research indicates that Jehovah’s Witnesses are under increasing pressure to conform to the rules of the former Soviet country.
The Armenian Constitution
The 1991 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations granted the Armenian Apostolic Church official status as the national church.
The Armenian Constitution was amended in 2005 by a referendum to recognise “the exclusive historical mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church”. Although other religions were accepted – and legalised – the Jehovah’s witnesses are the main group still struggling for recognition.
What Is Happening in Armenia?
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been active in Armenia since 1975. They first requested legal registration as a religious organization in 1995 and after being rejected about 15 times, they were finally registered in 2004. This was only because legalising them was one of the main conditions set out by the Council of Europe when granting Armenia membership.
According to Amnesty International, Jehovah's Witnesses are increasingly becoming victims of the violation of their rights to freedom of expression, conscience and liberty, which proves to be a direct threat to the 9,000 followers in the country.
Despite the existence of the Jehovah’s Witnesses as a legal religious group, aspects of their activities have come into direct conflict with the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is the leading religious denomination in the country. With an estimated 90% of the population being formal members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, this far outstrips the 0.3% who are believed to be Jehovah’s Witnesses, although this is likely to be due to the Apostolic Church being the longer and more widely accepted religious group.
Why Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Considered a Threat
A statement from the Armenian Apostolic Church has accused the Jehovah's Witnesses, among other unspecified groups, of having missions that involve "hunting for human souls, destroying families and creating a split in society." They have also been branded an organization which incites hatred or intolerant behavior. (Source: "Armenia Registers Jehovah's Witnesses", 2004)
Jehovah’s Witnesses are conscientious objectors to war and so many young men are imprisoned for failing to adhere to mandatory conscription laws. Refusal to join the army is considered a seriously unpatriotic decision due partly to the continuing tensions with neighbouring Azerbaijan. Amnesty International believes that at least 82 Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently in prison because of this.
Religious Intolerance
Armenia’s treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses demonstrates the intolerant and oppressive nature of the government, despite the alleged freedom to worship as identified by the Religious Freedom Report 2000. This is supported by the continued re-registration of other minority religious groups in the country.
What this amounts to is a blatant discrimination against a single denomination which involves “ignoring” physical attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses, while restricting their religious freedom. It’s about time the more influential countries in the world used their powers to bring this barbaric treatment to an end.
