The Montenegrin Law on Freedom of Religion or Beliefs and Legal Status of Religious Communities

Prof. em. Dr. Gerhard Robbers

doi:10.5771/9783748927082

Summary

The European Court of Human Rights has underlined that freedom of religion or belief is one of the foundations of a democratic society. It is seriously endangered when churches, temples, monasteries and other religious institutions owned by religious communities are arbitrarily expropriated by the state.

This study analyses the Law on Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities of Montenegro of 2019 in light of international human rights instruments and in light of Montenegro's possible accession to the European Union.

Keywords

Search publication

Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2021
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8487-8318-2
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-2708-2
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Language: English
Pages: 152
Product type: Book Titles

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 1 - 10
A. Executive Summary No access Pages 11 - 11
B. General Remarks No access Pages 12 - 12
1. 1. 1. The Law No access
  2. 1. 1. aa) The case Catholic Church of Canea No access
      2. bb) The status of the Serbian Orthodox Church No access
      3. (1) Effects of the Law on religious communities No access
        (2) Rule of law No access
        (3) Legitimate aim No access
    2. b) Assumption of legal personality status sui generis No access
    3. c) Violation of Article 6 § 1 ECHR No access
  3. 1. a) Procedure of re-registration No access
    2. b) Determination of seat No access
    3. c) Obligation to register No access
    4. d) Violation of Article 9 and 11 ECHR No access
  4. 4. Other international instruments and reference points No access
  5. 5. Violation of international law by rules on registration No access
2. 1. 1. Preliminary remarks No access
  2. 2. The Law No access
  3. 1. a) The standard to be met No access
    2. 1. (1) Controversial history No access
        (2) Possibility of public property No access
        (3) Legal acknowledgement of ownership No access
        (4) Ownership by usucapio No access
        (5) Self-contradictory statements on State ownership of religious premises No access
        (6) Evidence of church ownership No access
        (7) Expropriations and nationalizations No access
        (8) Conclusion No access
      2. (1) Concept of possessions No access
        (2) Basis in national law No access
        (3) Conclusion No access
      3. cc) Protected possessions No access
    3. 1. aa) Seizing of property No access
      2. bb) Reversal of burden of proof No access
      3. cc) Ending long use of premises No access
      4. dd) Eviction of clergy and believers No access
      5. ee) Multiple interference with property rights No access
    4. 1. aa) Standard of law No access
      2. bb) Religious buildings and land No access
      3. cc) Built or obtained from public revenues of the state No access
      4. dd) As cultural heritage of Montenegro No access
      5. ee) Defining cultural heritage No access
      6. ff) Alternative owners No access
      7. gg) Burden of proof No access
      8. hh) Scope of territory No access
      9. ii) Lack of a law as required No access
    5. 1. aa) Standard of public interest No access
      2. bb) Preservation of cultural heritage No access
      3. cc) Restoration of public property No access
      4. dd) Lack of public interest No access
    6. 1. aa) Standard of fair balance No access
      2. bb) Lack of compensation No access
      3. (1) Preservation of cultural heritage No access
        (2) Restoration of public property No access
      4. dd) Interests of believers, clergy, and religious communities No access
      5. ee) Interests of third persons and the community as a whole No access
      6. ff) Partly funded premises No access
      7. gg) Lack of fair balance No access
    7. h) Violation of international property guarantees by rules on property No access
  4. 1. 1. aa) Losing places of worship No access
      2. bb) Regime of cultural heritage No access
    2. b) Whether there is a law No access
    3. c) Whether there is a legitimate aim No access
    4. d) Whether the interference is necessary in a democratic society No access
    5. e) Violation of freedom of religion or belief by Article 62 of the Law No access
  5. 1. a) Whether there is an interference No access
    2. 1. aa) Lack of rules No access
      2. bb) Self-contradiction with prohibition of a State religion No access
      3. cc) Self-contradiction with prohibition of State interference No access
    3. c) Whether there is a legitimate aim No access
    4. d) Whether the interference is necessary in a democratic society No access
    5. e) Violation of freedom of religion or belief by Article 64 of the Law No access
  6. 1. a) United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights No access
    2. b) Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe No access
    3. c) Council of Europe No access
    4. d) European Union accession process No access
  7. 7. Comparative constitutional law No access
3. III. Rights of use of property No access
4. IV. Registration of property No access
5. 1. 1. Obligation of non-discrimination – Article 14 ECHR No access
  2. 2. Existing treaty law No access
  3. 3. Treaty-based guarantees No access
  4. 4. Discrimination through treaty law No access
  5. 5. Comparative constitutional law No access
6. 1. 1. Article 3 of the Law No access
  2. 2. Article 7 of the Law No access
  3. 3. Article 8 Section 1 of the Law No access
  4. 4. Article 9 Section 3 of the Law No access
  5. 5. Article 58 of the Law No access
  6. 6. Article 59 of the Law No access
7. VII. General conclusion No access
1. 1. The Consistory has been provided with the information that in some places priests and in some places tutors sold certain immovable property of some churches. This brought the Consistory to suspect tha... No access
2. Annex 2 No access
3. 1. No access
4. Annex 4 No access
5. Annex 5 No access
6. Annex 6 No access
7. Annex 7 No access
8. Annex 8 No access
9. Annex 9 No access
10. Annex 10 No access
11. 1. Based on the Article 165, paragraph 1 of the Law on General Administrative Procedure (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro”, no. 60/03, “Official Gazette of Montenegro”, no. 32/11), and in ... No access
12. 1. No access
13. Annex 13 No access
14. 1. Our Predecessor of glorious memories, the Sovereign of Zeta Ivan Crnojević, by establishing a monastery in Cetinje as the seat of the Metropolitans of Zeta, he bestowed on it the abundance of goods, i... No access
15. Annex 15 No access
16. Annex 16 No access