The refusal to register a religious union on behalf of the authorities violates the freedom of religion and the right of association.
JUDGMENT
Genov v. Βulgarie 23-03-2017 (no. 40524/08)
SUMMARY
Freedom in religion. Right to an association. The case concerned the refusal of the authorities to register the new religious association, whose president was the applicant.
The court rejected the applicant’s claim that the name of the new association resembled the name of an existing association, that their provisions were identical and that the stated aim of the new association to modify the previous organisation constituted a risk of secession among its members. The case came before the Supreme Court, which ruled that the Religion Act explicitly forbade the registration of two religious associations of the same name and seat. Mr Genov argued that the refusal to register the union resulted in a violation of his rights under Articles 9 (Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion) and 11 (Freedom of Assembly and Association) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECtHR concluded that there had been a violation of Article 9 in the light of Article 11.
PROVISIONS
Article 9
Article 11
PRINCIPAL FACTS
The applicant, Asen Genov, is a Bulgarian national, who was born in 1969 and lives in Sofia. The case
concerned the authorities’ refusal to register the new religious association of which Mr Genov had
been the chairman.
In January 2007, in Sofia, seven people decided to set up a new religious association, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) – Sofia, Nadezhda. Mr Genov was appointed as chairman. A Bulgarian branch of ISKCON, based in India, had been registered as a religious organisation in 1991 and re-registered in March 2003. Mr Genov applied to the court for registration of the new association. The Department for Religious Matters observed that, in its beliefs and rites, the new association could not be distinguished from the one already registered. In March 2007 the court rejected Mr Genov’s application, finding that the name of the new association resembled that of the association which already existed, that the constitution was identical and that the stated aim of the new association to change the organisation of the already registered association created a risk of a schism among its members. Mr Genov appealed and the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment. Mr Genov’s appeal on points of law was also dismissed. The Court of Cassation noted that the Religion Act expressly prohibited the registration of two religious organisations with the same name and the same head office. It noted that the new association was located in Sofia, exactly like the other one, despite the specific indication of a neighbourhood. It lastly found that such registration was only possible on the initiative of the parent organisation, which was not the case here.
Mr Genov argued that the refusal to register the association had entailed a violation of his rights under Articles 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) and 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
THE DECISION OF THE COURT
Violation of Article 9 interpreted in the light of Article 11
Just satisfaction: 2,000 euros (EUR) (non-pecuniary damage) and EUR 1,280 (costs and expenses)