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Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Religious Structures: The report released by the US Department of State does not describe the reality

07 October 2011 14:19 (UTC +04:00)

The statement sent to APA by the press service of the Committee says that the report released by the Department of State is an effort towards the protection of human rights and this is a positive initiative.

The committee says that re-registration and initial registration of religious communities is being continued in the country.
â€œIn response to the remarks concerning hijab, we state that wearing of school uniform in Azerbaijan, like in all democratic secular states can not be regarded as the violation of the freedom of conscience. Though the religious communities Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists and Nehemiah, shown in the section Restrictions on Religious Freedom, have not been re-registered, they were registered at different times and their certificates are valid. Though the lack of the re-registration gives the right to the State Committee on Work with Religious Structures to appeal to the court for abolishing those religious communities, it has not used this right yet.â€

The State Committee says that import and distribution of harmful religious literature, causing confrontation in the relations among religions, propagandizing religious extremism, inhumane ideas, intolerance with respect to other religions, serving to tense the religious situation is prevented.
â€œThe only religious community, which is dissatisfied with the State Committeeâ€™s activity concerning the import of religious literature, is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It should be noted that the State Committee permitted the abovementioned religious community to import and publish 136 kinds of religious books within the nine months of this year. The State Committee does not have problems with any other religious community in this area,â€ he said.

The State Committee regrets that the report does not describe the real situation in the country.