Vol. XVII, No. 3 • P. O. Box 819, Assonet, Massachusetts 02702 • July-September 1998

From official European Commission on Human Rights website http://194.250.50.201/eng/E276INFO.148.html

Communiqué issued by the Secretary
to the European Commission of Human Rights
INFORMATION NOTE No. 148
on the 276th Session of the
European Commission of Human Rights
(Strasbourg, Monday 2 March - Friday 13 March 1998)
__________

The 276th Session of the European Commission of Human Rights (Council of Europe) was held at the Human Rights Building in Strasbourg from 2 to 13 March 1998. At the close of the session the Secretary gave the following information on matters dealt with in the Commission:
The Commission dealt with 715 applications under Article 25 of the Convention and also examined one application under Article 24 of the Convention. Among the applications examined by the Commission were the following: . . .

II. Reports adopted
(i) Reports adopted under Article 28 para. 2 of the Convention (friendly settlement)
(a) One Report was adopted by the plenary Commission under Article 28 para. 2 of the Convention, concluding that a friendly settlement had been secured:
- KHRISTIANSKO SDRUZHENIE "SVIDETELI NA IEHOVA" (CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES) v. Bulgaria (Application No. 28626/95)
The case concerned the refusal to re-register the applicant association pursuant to a 1994 law, and the alleged suppression of its activities and those of its members. In settlement, the Government agreed to introduce legislation as soon as possible to provide for civilian service for conscientious objectors, as an alternative to military service, and to register the applicant association as a religion. The applicant undertook with regard to its stance on blood transfusions to draft a statement for inclusion in its statute providing that members should have free choice in the matter for themselves and their children, without any control or sanction on the part of the association. [emphasis added]

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