“We have to tolerate sectarians”
The Council of Europe's Venice Commission will discuss Armenia's draft law "On Freedoms of Conscience and Belief" no later than October 15. This is what President of the RA Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunyan told "A1+".
President of the CE Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio told "A1+" that he wasn't aware of the draft law and that he couldn't comment on it. However, he noted that relations with religious organizations should be normalized on the grounds of tolerance.
"They need souls and have the right to convey their religious convictions," Buquicchio said.
Buquicchio said what's more important is that they don't do that by violating other people's rights.
"The relationship is between equilibrium and tolerance. One has the freedom to state his convictions, while the other has the freedom not to agree with that person's views," the CE Venice Commission President said.
Buquicchio referred to how a representative of the given organization knocks on citizens' doors to present his conviction-something that is so common in Armenia.
"What can the resident do? He has to tolerate that," says Gianni Buquicchio.
