An annual United States report evaluating religious freedom pointed to growing anti-Semitism in Armenia, following the presidential elections in the country. 

“On February 27, 2008, the state-operated H1 public television channel’s news program presented coverage of a post-presidential election opposition rally, focusing primarily on an Israeli flag — one of many nations’ flags in the crowd — with the intention of vilifying Levon Ter-Petrosyan, whose wife is Jewish,” said the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report 2008.

The report continues: “In May and June 2008, the pro-government Hayots Ashkharh and Golos Armenii daily newspapers published anti-Semitic and anti-Masonic accusations against Ter-Petrosyan. Local observers viewed the inflammatory articles as attempts to portray the opposition leader as a traitor to the country and stir up anti-Semitic sentiment in a country traditionally known for its welcoming attitude toward Jews.”

“On June 1, 2008, H1 broadcast a 10-minute segment on its weekly 360 Degrees news magazine program, the sole focus of which appeared to be to disparage and undermine the opposition. The footage incorporated the anti-Semitic and anti-Masonic attacks by Hayots Ashkharh and Golos Armenii.”

The report released finds that while the Constitution of Armenia provides for freedom of religion, Armenia places restrictions on the religious freedom of adherents of minority religious groups.

In the section dealing with such restrictions the report mentions that the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations prohibits but does not define “proselytizing”.

The report also cites examples of “negative attitudes about minority religious groups, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses, because of the latter’s refusal to serve in the military, the group’s little-understood proselytizing practices, and a widespread but unsubstantiated belief that Jehovah’s Witnesses pay the desperately poor to convert.”

“Minority religious groups at times continued to be targets of hostile sermons by Armenian Church clerics, and members of minority religious groups experienced societal discrimination and intolerance,” it said. “Media outlets continued to label religious groups other than the Armenian Church as ‘sects’ in their broadcasting and transmitted negative programs about them. Various television stations broadcast discussions in which representatives of the Armenian Church and/or other participants labeled religious minority groups as enemies of the state and national unity.”

Source: www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108433.htm