Friday, August 29, 2014

Bolivian laws threaten religious liberty


Evangelical Christians in Bolivia have begun their battle against new measures that could result in the dissolution of Protestant denominations and other religious groups in the heavily Catholic Andean country.

Organizations that fail to comply with the new government measures will lose their legal standing. In response, the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia (ANDEB) on July 30 presented a Petition of Unconstitutionality to the country's Constitutional Tribunal seeking repeal of the measures.

"This law is totally unconstitutional, incongruent with religious liberty as enshrined in Article 4 of the constitution," Cochabamba attorney Ruth MontaƱo, who helped frame ANDEB's Petition of Unconstitutionality, said.

The battle over constitutional rights in Bolivia pits the country's religious minorities against the government of President Evo Morales. The outcome could determine whether Bolivia will continue to enjoy freedom of religion, particularly for the country's 1.6 million Protestant Christians. Read more

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