For Immediate Release
Landmarks for religious freedom in Greece ATHENS—In recent months a more liberal approach to freedom of worship is reflected in key decisions reached in Greece. For years Jehovah's Witnesses in that nation had to resort to the courts to establish their right to worship freely. This may be a thing of the past. An official document from the Ministry of National Education and Religions, dated June 13, stated regarding the government position: "The administrative practice fully respects the case-law of National Courts and the European Court of Human Rights, in the framework of the established individual right of religious freedom." How this position improves the status of minority faiths is seen in the successive comments: "The said administrative practice ascertains that Christian Jehovah's Witnesses are considered by the administration as a known religion under article 13 of the Constitution, with all legal consequences resulting therefrom." As for their national headquarters in Marousi, this document officially recognized the complex as "a sacred and consecrated place, dedicated to the worship of This full recognition for Jehovah's Witnesses follows another positive development about one month earlier from which they and all advocates of religious freedom can benefit. While Greece adopted alternative service for conscientious objectors in 1998, the full advantage of that provision is only now being realized. This is true because until now an individual who served time prior to the alternative service provision retained a criminal record, which would prevent him from qualifying for certain employment, interfere with his ability to apply for some permits and invalidate the otherwise clean record of a good citizen. Now, conscientious objectors who had been imprisoned before the provision of alternative service existed will have their "criminal" record erased. Meanwhile, the government in Greece is pursuing further improvements to alternative service requirements and provisions for conscientious objectors. There are more than 27,500 Jehovah's Witnesses in Greece. Contact in the United States, telephone:
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