European court ruling against conscientious objector raises religious-freedom concerns
November 19, 2009
The European Court of Human Rights-- which has come under criticism for its ruling that Italy must not display crucifixes in public buildings-- has also issued a controversial ruling on the rights of religious believers to declare themselves as conscientious objectors. Denying the case of a Jehovah's Witness who refused military service in Armenia, the court ignored the religious-freedom implications of the case, argues Derek Brett in a commentary for the Forum 18 news service. The decision also puts the European Court of Human Rights at odds with prior international standards regarding the rights and duies of conscientious objectors.
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