LITHUANIA’S ETHNIC RELIGION (ROMUVA)

 THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS VINDICATES LITHUANIA’S ETHNIC RELIGION (ROMUVA)

Press Release 397/ 08.06.”2021”

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rendered a historic decision in favour of Lithuania’s ethnic religion (Romuva) in its recourse against the

state of Lithuania which had been refusing to grant Romuva the status of a State-recognised religious association, despite Romuva’s meeting all eligibility criteria prescribed by law.

The Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes, as the legitimate body representing the Hellenic Ethnic Religion and its followers, welcomes this historic decision which vindicates Romuva, but also all ethnic religions and traditions that seek their recognition and their right to full and equal protection under the law in relation to the public exercise of their religious practices, precisely as such recognition and protection are afforded to all other religions.

This great victory by Romuva signals a new era of revival for all ancestral and indigenous religions and traditions of Europe as they struggle to reclaim their natural space, despite the unspeakable violence they have faced in the hands of Christians who attempted to forcibly assimilate them to Christianity or make them disappear.

The state of Lithuania had sided with the Catholic Church in its unacceptable claim that somehow the Lithuanian ethnic religion is not a proper religion but rather “remnants of peasant superstitions” and that recognizing Romuva as a religion might somehow destabilize the social cohesion of Lithuanian society! However, it was the unanimous opinion of the court that, in failing to protect Romuva against institutional deficiencies that denied it the recognition it sought, Lithuania had violated the European Convention on Human Rights articles governing freedom of thought, conscience and religion, non-discrimination and the right to a fair trial and an effective remedy.

The Hellenic Ethnic Religion has also sought redress before the European Court of Human Rights following the refusal of domestic courts to grant it the status of Religious Legal Person according to the eligibility criteria prescribed by statute 4301/2014, which criteria the Hellenic Ethnic Religion has comfortably met. On the occasion of the vindication of Romuva, we invite the Greek state to honour its self-description as a “parliamentary democracy” and to grant the Hellenic Ethnic Religion the status of Religious Legal Person to which it is entitled, without waiting for the decision of the European Court, as such decision is very likely to result in yet another condemnation of our country on the basis of violations of religious freedoms and perpetuation of systemic religious discrimination and unequal treatment of Greek citizens.

We call on the Greek authorities to transcend the subservient theocratic reflexes demonstrated by only a few judicial officials. These few judges have put our country on the spot, making it appear as the last theocracy of Europe in refusing to apply the laws that it itself promulgates, whenever such laws are relied upon by citizens who are not Christians. We are certain that the Greek authorities will overcome whatever difficulties may be in order to find an extrajudicial solution to the issue of the status recognition for the Hellenic Ethnic Religion, as it has done in the past with other religious associations.

The country that gave birth to democracy ought to welcome it back together with the Hellenic Ethnic Religion which conceived of it and evolved it.

Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes

Ύπατο Συμβούλιο των Ελλήνων Εθνικών