Armenia - Freedom of conscience and religion - follow-up to the interim opinion
16/02/2011 - 17/02/2011
Yerevan - at the request of the then Minister for Justice of Armenia dated 26 October 2010, the Venice Commission adopted an interim opinion on the amendments to the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations at its December 2010 plenary session. At the same time the Commission was informed that a new set of amendments was in preparation.
In order to obtain more background information on the legislative process related to the planned amendments of the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations, a delegation of the Venice Commission, consisting of Finola FLANAGAN, Irish member of the Commission and Caroline MARTIN, legal officer at the Venice Commission’s secretariat, is travelling to Yerevan to meet with the new Minister for Justice on 16 February 2011.
On 17 February 2011 the Venice Commission’s delegation will participate in a conference entitled "Discussions on the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations" which is organised by the OSCE mission in Armenia and the Open Society Institute and takes place in Yerevan, at the Best Western Congress hotel.
Background
Since 2009, two opinions on the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations of Armenia have been provided to the Armenian authorities. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe is following the issue in close co-operation with the authorities so that that Law eventually meets the international standards.