Last week Religion Clause reported on the controversial new Church and Religious Communities bill passed hurriedly by Serbia's National Assembly. Now a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations are criticizing the bill and urging Serbian President Boris Tadic not to sign it into law. The OSCE and the Council of Europe issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying that the law needed "more precise criteria to define the discretionary powers [of] ... state and religious authorities." It pointed out that the effect of non-registration of religious groups was unclear, as was the legal status of canon laws and ecclesiastical decisions. The statement also criticized the speedy manner in which the bill was adopted, leaving insufficient time for review and public debate.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Helsinki Commission issued a statement criticizing the law's "ambiguous registration requirements, limitations on naming rights, ill-defined state deregistration powers, speech limitations, improper public disclosure requirements, and undue deference to registration decisions of other EU countries." The statement also criticized provisions that would require many minority religious communities now registered to re-register with authorities.
Finally, according to B92 News, a letter signed by nine human rights organizations in Serbia said that the bill brings Serbia's secular character into question. The letter says the new law is contradictory to human rights guarantees in the country's constitution. It charges that the law moves Serbia back toward medieval times and away from modern Europe.
UPDATE: Despite these pleas, Makfax reported Thursday afternoon that Serbia's President Boris Tadic signed the Church and Religious Communities Act into law.
