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Minister Zenka: Draft Law on Freedom of Religion h...
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Minister Zenka: Draft Law on Freedom of Religion harmonised with highest international standards and all Venice Commission recommendations
Published on: Dec 23, 2019 • 5:19 PM Author: PR Service
"In front of you is a Draft Law that is in line with the highest international standards in the field of human rights and fully in line with the latest recommendations of the Venice Commission," Minister for Human and Minority Rights Mehmed Zenka said in his opening remarks on the Draft Law on Freedom of Religion at a session of the Assembly Committee on Human Rights.
The session of the Committee on Human Rights discussing the Draft Law on Freedom of Religion, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin and Minister Zenka as representatives of the Government, began today at 10 am in the Parliament of Montenegro. The session is also attended by representatives of religious communities and the civil sector.
"This is a very liberal legal text that guarantees everyone in Montenegro, including believers and those who are not believers, the highest degree of rights and freedoms. With this law, the Government fulfills its obligation to adequately regulate this very important aspect of human rights at the sub-constitutional level with modern law, which will replace the old law of 1977, which is still in force," Minister Zenka explained.
While drafting the Draft Law, the Government was not in a hurry, but prepared it carefully for a long time, the Minister recalled.
"The Draft Law was prepared in 2015. During the public debate that followed, the Ministry received and considered hundreds of comments. Last year alone, seven round tables were held with the participation of academia, religious organisations and the non-governmental sector. There is no religious community or other stakeholder who has not commented on this Draft. In addition, representatives of the Government had detailed and comprehensive individual consultations with all religious communities. These consultations achieved a higher degree of agreement than ever before on these issues. All those proposals by religious communities that were in line with international legal standards and the public interest were accepted," the Minister said.
According to him, the new Draft Law clearly sets out for the first time in Montenegro the exact extent to which rights and obligations of religious communities apply.
"Also, the registration procedure of religious communities is regulated in a very liberal way. It is a matter of the free will of the religious community, whether they will register or not. Religious communities that choose not to register and have no legal entity status will be able to act freely."
Finally, the Minister said, this law protects state property used by religious communities as a cultural property.
"Religious facilities and land used by religious communities in the territory of Montenegro that were built or acquired from state revenue or were state-owned until 1918 and for which there is no evidence of the property rights of religious communities, as cultural heritage of Montenegro, will be registered as state property. However, if a religious community has evidence that it has become the owner of some property based on regulations that have been in force once or are in force today, it will be recognised and respected by the state. It is important to emphasise that these provisions of the law apply equally to all religious communities."
The Minister emphasised that absolutely all the recommendations from the opinion of the Venice Commission of June 2019 were accepted and included in the text of the Draft Law.
PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO
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