For Immediate Release
Jehovah's Witness in Armenia charged under Soviet antireligion law YEREVAN, Armenia—On Friday, July 20, Lyova Markaryan, a 50-year-old father of three, will be prosecuted in the Armavir regional court for his religious activity as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. He is being charged under a criminal provision that dates back to the era of Khrushchev's antireligion campaign, and if convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Says defense attorney Rustam Khachatryan: "If this prosecution proves successful, no Jehovah's Witness in Armenia will be safe from prosecution and imprisonment." This prosecution follows law-enforcement officials' use of Armenian television to call for a crackdown on unregistered religions. Jehovah's Witnesses have made numerous attempts to secure registration since Armenia gained independence in 1991. Freedom of religion and conscience is guaranteed by the Constitution of Armenia and by the European Convention of Human Rights, which Armenia signed upon its accession to the Council of Europe on January 25, 2001. In its application for membership in the Council of Europe, Armenia acknowledged its obligation to "ensure that all Churches or religious communities, in particular those referred to as 'non-traditional,' may practice their religion without discrimination." English-speaking contact:
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