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DigitalJournal.com
Oct 22 2011
Jehovah's Witnesses charged with disrespecting Armenian church
Yerevan - Prosecutors in the case of members of the Jehovah's
Witnesses A. Makvetsyan and S. Grigoryan against the Armenian
Apostolic Church Holy Trinity priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan, are
presenting fresh charges against A. Makvetsyan.
News.am reports the prosecutors are charging the Jehovah's Witness
with offense of disrespectful behavior against the Armenian Church and
the Armenian society.
According to ArmeniaNow, the case involving the Jehovah's Witnesses
and the priest of the Armenian church began in May, when the two
Jehovah's Witnesses were accused of attacking the priest. The Armenian
Apostolic Church Holy Trinity priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan, had claimed
that on Sunday May 15, he asked two Jehovah's Witnesses who were
preaching close to his church premises in Yerevan to leave but rather,
they yelled obscenities at him and threatened him with physical
violence.
Spokesman of the Jehovah's Witnesses Tigran Harutyunyan, in a letter
to ArmeniaNow , however, denied the priest's story, saying the
Jehovah's Witnesses were preaching at some distance from the priest's
church premises when someone in "plainclothes" approached them saying
that was his "territory" and that they should leave. The man,
according to the Witnesses, tried to take a picture of them but they
objected. One of the Jehovah's Witnesses attempted to prevent him by
covering the camera lens with his palm. According to the spokesman of
the Jehovah's Witnesses, at that point,
`Priest Artenyan, who grew angry because of all of that, stretched for
Andranik Makvetsyan's face, began to offend and curse him (remembering
the latter's parents, etc.), making threats and demanding that they
call their `boss.''
The Armenian Church priest Fr. Yesayi Artenyan, in an interview with
ArmeniaNow, said when he tried to take a photograph of the Jehovah's
Witnesses, one of them hit him the hand. He said:
`I simply turned to the police so that they give me protection,
because alone I can no longer deal with Jehovah's Witnesses preaching
in the vicinity of the church.'
Father Artenyan told ArmeniaNow that he did not ask the police to
institute criminal proceedings against the Witnesses.
AP report says, "Although Armenia's constitution provides for freedom
of religion, it is difficult for new groups to register and the rules
favor the dominant Armenian Apostolic Church."
Armenian society's attitude towards most minority religious groups is
ambivalent. Though many Armenians are not religious, there is a strong
link between Armenian ethnicity and the Armenian Church. Armenian laws
restrict religious freedom of minority groups. The Armenian Law on
Freedom of Conscience prohibits "proselytizing," but does not define
it.
AP also reports Jehovah's Witnesses serve prison sentences in Armenia
for conscientious objection to military service.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/313204
Oct 22 2011
Jehovah's Witnesses charged with disrespecting Armenian church
Yerevan - Prosecutors in the case of members of the Jehovah's
Witnesses A. Makvetsyan and S. Grigoryan against the Armenian
Apostolic Church Holy Trinity priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan, are
presenting fresh charges against A. Makvetsyan.
News.am reports the prosecutors are charging the Jehovah's Witness
with offense of disrespectful behavior against the Armenian Church and
the Armenian society.
According to ArmeniaNow, the case involving the Jehovah's Witnesses
and the priest of the Armenian church began in May, when the two
Jehovah's Witnesses were accused of attacking the priest. The Armenian
Apostolic Church Holy Trinity priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan, had claimed
that on Sunday May 15, he asked two Jehovah's Witnesses who were
preaching close to his church premises in Yerevan to leave but rather,
they yelled obscenities at him and threatened him with physical
violence.
Spokesman of the Jehovah's Witnesses Tigran Harutyunyan, in a letter
to ArmeniaNow , however, denied the priest's story, saying the
Jehovah's Witnesses were preaching at some distance from the priest's
church premises when someone in "plainclothes" approached them saying
that was his "territory" and that they should leave. The man,
according to the Witnesses, tried to take a picture of them but they
objected. One of the Jehovah's Witnesses attempted to prevent him by
covering the camera lens with his palm. According to the spokesman of
the Jehovah's Witnesses, at that point,
`Priest Artenyan, who grew angry because of all of that, stretched for
Andranik Makvetsyan's face, began to offend and curse him (remembering
the latter's parents, etc.), making threats and demanding that they
call their `boss.''
The Armenian Church priest Fr. Yesayi Artenyan, in an interview with
ArmeniaNow, said when he tried to take a photograph of the Jehovah's
Witnesses, one of them hit him the hand. He said:
`I simply turned to the police so that they give me protection,
because alone I can no longer deal with Jehovah's Witnesses preaching
in the vicinity of the church.'
Father Artenyan told ArmeniaNow that he did not ask the police to
institute criminal proceedings against the Witnesses.
AP report says, "Although Armenia's constitution provides for freedom
of religion, it is difficult for new groups to register and the rules
favor the dominant Armenian Apostolic Church."
Armenian society's attitude towards most minority religious groups is
ambivalent. Though many Armenians are not religious, there is a strong
link between Armenian ethnicity and the Armenian Church. Armenian laws
restrict religious freedom of minority groups. The Armenian Law on
Freedom of Conscience prohibits "proselytizing," but does not define
it.
AP also reports Jehovah's Witnesses serve prison sentences in Armenia
for conscientious objection to military service.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/313204