ECLJ Encouraged that European Court of Human Rights to Here Russian Salvation Army Religious Discrimination Case

(Strasbourg, France) – The European Centre for Law and Justice said today it is encouraging that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France has agreed to consider a religious discrimination case involving the Moscow branch of the Salvation Army – a case that contends the Russian government has infringed on the religious rights of this organization by denying it legal status in the former Soviet Union.

“It is extremely important that the European Court of Human Rights has decided to take this case,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the European and Slavic Centres for Law and Justice – the organizations involved in the Moscow Salvation Army case. Sekulow is also Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which is affiliated with the European and Slavic Centres for Law and Justice. Sekulow added: “By taking this case, the European Court of Human Rights sends a strong message that religious freedom is an integral and important aspect of the European Charter of Human Rights. This case will be watched closely throughout the world and we are hopeful that the rights of the Salvation Army will be protected and that the organization will ultimately receive the legal recognition that it deserves.”

The application on behalf of the Salvation Army in Moscow was filed in May 2001 with the European Court of Human Rights by the Slavic Centre for Law and Justice (SCLJ) and the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) – two affiliate organizations of the Washington, D.C. - based religious liberties organization, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

Over the last three years, a number of institutions of the Council of Europe tried unsuccessfully to convince the Russian government to settle the conflict and permit the recognition of the Salvation Army, which has been helping the poor in Moscow for ten years. In rejecting the Salvation Army’s required governmental re-registration application in 2000, the Russian government declared the Salvation Army a subversive “paramilitary foreign organization.” In 2002, the SCLJ convinced the Russian Constitutional Court – Russia’s highest court – to overturn previous Moscow court decisions that ordered the liquidation of the Salvation Army.

The SCLJ contends that the Salvation Army’s reputation continues to be damaged and its work undermined because the Russian government continues to make false allegations against the Salvation Army. Some of these baseless allegations have even found their way into school textbooks in Russia.

The decision of the European Court of Human Rights to hear the case is welcomed news to Vladimir Ryakhovsky and Anatoly Pchelintsev of the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, which represents the Salvation Army. “Russian authorities have been blatantly and repeatedly violating the Salvation Army’s rights – discriminating against its believers,” said Ryakhovsky and Pchelintsev. “We hope for the fastest possible review of this case by the European Court and the full restoration of justice since religious freedom in Russia has continued to deteriorate in the past few years.”

The case of the Salvation Army is the first ever Russian case involving religious freedom to be considered by the European Court of Human Rights. In granting the application to hear the case on June 24th, the European Court of Human Rights said it will consider whether the Russian government violated the Salvation Army’s freedom of religion, freedom of association, and a prohibition of discrimination. There is no word on when the European court will issue a decision in the case.