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Introduction
The following is a report prepared by ISKCON Communications
Europe on the persecution of Hare Krishna members in Armenia. This
case has been taken up by Amnesty International and a report on
the following events has been prepared by the US embassy in Yeravan,
which will be included in the US Department of State's 1995 Human
Rights Report on Armenia. The Swedish Foreign Office will also include
this case in their 1995 report. The case has also been reported
to the Office for International Human Rights of the CSCE. A letter
writing campaign directed at the President of Armenia was begun
in September of this year and demonstrations have taken place at
various Armenian embassies around the world.
History
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON
or the Hare Krishna Movement) was introduced to Armenia in 1981.
Within a few years a group of some thirty to forty followers formed
an association for the practice of their religion in the capital
of Armenia, Yerevan.
During the Soviet regime in Armenia, members of ISKCON lived under
the constant supervision of the KGB, in hiding, on the run and later
in prison and mental institutions.
In 1985 and in 1986 the KGB orchestrated two court cases against
members of the society. As a result of these two cases eleven Hare
Krishnas' were imprisoned in State prisons, labour camps and psychiatric
hospitals. Among them were Karen Saakyan, Armen Saakyan, Suren Karapetyan,
Sarkis Ogandzhanyan, Gagik Buniatyan, Agvan Arytyunyan, Armine Hrtyan,
Ara Akopyan and Armen Sarkisyan.
One of those imprisoned that time, Sarkis Ogandzhanyan (23 yrs.
of age), died on December 27th. 1987, from tuberculosis and malnutrition
in labour camp YU-25/"B" situated in the Orenburg Territory
of the Russian Republic. He had entered the camp as a perfectly
healthy young man and he was due to have been released in January
1988.
Another member, Martik Zhamkochyan (25 yrs. of age), died in a
psychiatric hospital in the Sovetashen District of Yerevan in July
1986. In the psychiatric hospital he was force-fed with raw eggs,
which were administered through a tube and he was simultaneously
injected with large doses of psycho-pharmacological drugs. After
several days of such "treatment" he died.
In 1985, in Sweden the Committee to Free Soviet Hare Krishnas was
formed. The Committee publicised the violations against civil, religious
and human rights surrounding the persecution of the Soviet Hare
Krishnas. Many human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International,
Helsinki Watch, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
and The Committee for Human Rights in Eastern Europe took part in
the campaign to free the Soviet Hare Krishnas. Due to the efforts
of the Committee and world-wide support for the campaign most of
the Hare Krishna members imprisoned were released between 1987-1988.
In 1989-90 the proposed transition to a more democratic society
promised hope for religious freedom. In 1990 ISKCON was, for the
first time, officially registered as a religion in Armenia. There
are now about 250 ISKCON members resident in Armenia and ISKCON
maintains congregations in the towns of Gyumri, Kirovakan, Eghnadzor,
Kapan and Ashtarak.
Social contribution
Even before the official registration, ISKCON had started various
religious and missionary programmes which included Hare Krishna
Food for Life, a humanitarian food distribution programme for the
needy. In December 1988, three days after a devastating earthquake
in Leninakan (now Gyumri) a group of thirty Hare Krishna members
(both from Russia and Armenia) went to Leninakan and started free
food distribution. The money for the programme was collected internationally.
For about five months 1000 free meals were distributed daily to
the victims of the earthquake.
Unfortunately the threat of religious tolerance was short-lived.
Despite attempts by ISKCON members to make a positive social contribution
and to live in peaceful co-existence with other religious communities;
our members in Armenia have noted an increase in animosity towards
them which seemed to parallel an increase of nationalism and a revival
of traditional religions. ISKCON's charitable activities have recently
been prohibited by a direct order from Mr. Khachik Stamboltsian,
chairman of the Supreme Council Commission on Refugees and Emergencies.
In spite of the restrictions on ISKCON's free food distribution
programme, ISKCON members continue to distribute 1,000 free meals
each day in Armenia, especially in hospitals.
Recent problems in Armenia
Below we chronologically document the more recent development
of systematic harassment of Hare Krishna members, by priests of
the majority Armenian Apostolic church, police and local government
officials.
On July 10th., 1992 the Hare Krishna temple in Yerevan was attacked
by arsonists. Temple members managed to extinguish the fire which
damaged the temple building and two cars owned by ISKCON. ISKCON
appealed to the Commission for Human Rights of the Supreme Council
of Armenia and local police, but the complaint was ignored.
In June 1993 a few members of the Society went to the Republic
of Nagorny Karabakh to open a free food distribution centre for
local people. On June 12th. ISKCON members and Mr. L. Gulyan, the
Head of the Department of Refugees and Humanitarian Aid reached
an agreement to co-operate together in order to help the region's
under-privileged. Mr. Gulyan promised to provide ISKCON with premises
for their free food distribution in Stepanakert city and other settlements
in the R.N.K. In Stepanakert ISKCON was granted facility to distribute
free food on the premises of a former restaurant. Within a month
of the programme starting, a group of armed men broke into the premises
and demanded, on behalf of the government, that our members leave
the country within 24 hours. ISKCON's members appealed to the State
Minister Zirair Pogosyan, who refused to help and actually declared
to support the demands of the intruders.
On September 23 1993 Mikhael Unjugulyan, a Krishna devotee, was
severely beaten before the inhabitants in his village of origin,
Oshakan. His assailant was a priest from the local Armenian Orthodox
Church, a Father Gevork. A vain appeal for justice was made by the
victim to the police in the Ashtrak region. His complaint was ignored.
The incident was witnessed and can be verified by many inhabitants
of the village.
In April 1994, thirty tons of religious books were dispatched from
ISKCON in Moscow for the temple in Yerevan. The books were seized
by the customs at Masis station before they reached Yerevan. Despite
many appeals to the Council for Religion Affairs which is supposed
to give permission to receive religious literature, the books are
still being detained by customs at Masis station. Initially the
Council for Religious Affairs instructed the customs station not
to release the books but later claim to have written to ask them
to release the books. ISKCON has not received any of the books nor
have members been informed as to the location of their literature.
It should be noted that religious books do not require customs clearance
in order to be imported into Armenia.
On April 18, 1994 Hare Krishna member Artur Khachatryan was attacked
by a group of fifteen members of the Armenian Army in an Officer's
Club in Yerevan. He was severely beaten and had to be hospitalised.
The religious books he carried with him were burned. The case was
reported to the police station in the Spandaryan district of Yerevan.
The appointed police investigator was a Captain Asatryan who decided
not to question or arrest the offenders, although their names are
known to the police.
On July 4, 1994 two female members of the Hare Krishna Society
in Yerevan, Anaite Arzumanian and Mariana Dorunz, travelled to the
neighbouring town of Sisyan, to distribute religious literature
and minister to local sympathisers. They were intercepted on route
by two priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Father Narek from
Sisyan and an American priest of the Avat Mission (a branch of the
Armenian Apostolic church), Father Zenob. Supported by soldiers
of the Armenian army, the priests confiscated more than 150 books
and proceeded to light a bonfire with them, an act which attracted
much local attention. The priests and their supporters then forcibly
ripped the clothing off the women, twisted their arms, tore their
religious neckbeads off their necks and threw these articles into
the bonfire. This scene was witnessed by many of the local people.
This incident was reported to Mr. Robert Patterson of the American
embassy in Armenia, and to the special correspondent of Espress-chronika
in Armenia, Michail Dabasyan.
Krishna devotees appealed for justice in these cases to the Armenian
Prosecutor and the Committee for Human Rights at the Armenian Supreme
Soviet. The only response came from an investigator, Mr Kroyan,
which consisted only of a threatening commitment to investigate
all Hare Krishna activities in Armenia.
On July 26, 1994 another ISKCON member Karo Mkrtchyan was seriously
beaten and threatened with murder by six members of the Dashnaktzusyun
Party (a nationalist political party). Again any religious books
or paraphernalia he carried were confiscated. He was also told that
if he was seen again in the city after twenty four hours, he would
be killed on the spot. On July 31, 1994 in the town of Goris a live
phone-in interview with the Patriarch of the South Armenian region,
Bishop Abraham was broadcast on the local state cable television.
During the interview a question was raised about the status of ISKCON.
The bishop replied that it was all the work of Satan and that the
books sold by ISKCON represent a real social danger, diverting people
from the path of God. He claimed to have formed a committee, in
the local Cultural House for Youth with the aim of collecting all
the ISKCON books from the population in exchange for free Bibles
(this facility was also announced on local radio). He promised to
publicly burn the collected literature.
On August 28th. ten armed thugs stormed the Hare Krishna Temple
in Yerevan. They completely vandalised the place of worship, desecrated
the altar, and severely assaulted the temple President, Ivan Dallakyan.
The attack lasted more than twenty minutes. During the attack ISKCON
members tried to report the attack to the police who only sent a
police patrol to the scene after four attempts at trying to contact
them. The police car only stayed long enough for the police officer
to declare, "We are not going to protect people like you."
After the incident, Ivan Dallakyan himself called the police and
asked for protection. He gave the police the names and addresses
of the people who attacked the temple; but again, there was no sign
of response from the police.
On the morning of August 31st, the same people phoned and warned
that they would come again at 19.00 hours. Temple members called
the police at 17.00 hours and requested protection. A police patrol
arrived after a short time and stayed only fifteen minutes, explaining
that they had no time to wait. At the appointed time four people
arrived at the temple. They started to abuse the temple residents
and threatened violence. Before long a scuffle ensued and suddenly,
after just a few moments, a fleet of fourteen police cars appeared
on the scene. The policemen surrounded the temple and arrested all
the residents. Seventeen Hare Krishna members were taken into custody.
In the police station the prisoners were abused and beaten.
Subsequently sixteen of those arrested have been freed from the
state prison. They are, nonetheless, being forced to stay under
house arrest for an unspecified investigation period.
As a result of the attack on the temple one Hare Krishna member,
Boris Agagabyan, was hospitalised with head injuries and a severely
damaged nose. Another member, Mkrtchyan Karo has suffered severe
head injuries, inflicted by a metal bar. Others also had to receive
hospital treatment.
On the 3rd. September a member called Grigoryan Kamo was arrested
by the local police and taken into custody. During the night he
was badly beaten in his cell by the same policemen who had beaten
the others on the 31st. On the 6th. September Grigoryan Kamo was
transferred to a psychiatric prison hospital.
Media incitement
A mass media campaign has been orchestrated against ISKCON in
the last six months of 1994. The reportage is sensationalistic and
sectarian. When Ara Akopyan (an ISKCON member) asked Voskan Maminonyan,
a correspondent from the Erkir newspaper, why he published blatant
lies about ISKCON, the correspondent replied, 'When a war is being
fought against a political enemy, then all means are to be used,
both honest and dishonest.'
Conclusion
At the time of publication the whereabouts of the confiscated
books is still unknown and fourteen ISKCON members are still undergoing
investigation, with the constant threat of court action. Since the
beginning of the International campaign things have certainly quietened
down in Armenia, illustrating how effective outside pressure can
be, but the threat to ISKCON members rights and freedom is still
as real as ever.
The immediate aim of the campaign is to see the return of the literature
to ISKCON and the dropping of charges of incitement against ISKCON
members. Eventually we would hope to see a change in the laws governing
the registration of religion in Armenia, a change which reflects
a just and non-sectarian approach to religion and worship.
Update: March 1995
After various attempts to secure possession of the confiscated
books ISKCON members heard from reliable political sources that
the literatures had been burned. Further information suggested that
the order to burn the books came from the head of the Armenian KGB,
David Shahnazarian. They were reportedly burnt in the ovens of the
Thermal power plant in Yerevan, mixed with liquid fuel. Informants
claim that this was done in reply to the international reaction
to the reported persecution of Hare Krishna members in Armenia.
On the 16th. March 1995 a committee was formed comprising of the
president of ISKCON in Armenia, a representative of the US Embassy
in Armenia, the head of Customs, the head of the local station police
and the head of the railway station where the books were held. This
committee proceeded to unlock the container of books. The container
was opened and it was found to be empty. ISKCON in Armenia has lodged
an official complaint regarding this but has been advised that it
may not be wise to pursue the case seriously.
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