Source: http://www.cesnur.org/2002/bulgaria_law.htm
Timestamp: 2017-11-20 22:46:28
Document Index: 369353947

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 1', 'Art. 3', 'Art. 4', 'Art. 5', 'Art. 6', 'Art. 7', 'Art. 9', 'Art. 10', 'Art. 11', 'Art. 13', 'Art. 21', 'Art. 27', '§ 2', '§ 6', '§ 2']

Bulgarian Draft Law on Religion (2002)
Bulgarian New Draft Law on Religions (2002)
Preliminary Unofficial Translation (with many thanks to Prof. W. Cole Durham of BYU International Center for Law and Religion Studies, who supplied us with this document)
Version Submitted to the National Assembly
by the Committee on Human Rights and Religions
to the Bulgarian National Assembly
Art. 1 This law provides for the right of religion [1] of all persons under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Bulgaria and its protection, and the legal status of the religious communities and institutions as well, and their relations with the state.
(2) The right of religion shall include everybodys right freely to form his/her religious persuasions and to choose, change and worship (practice) freely his/her religion [2]  individually or in collective, in public or in private, by worship, teaching, rites and rituals [3] .
Art. 3 (1) Nobody shall be persecuted or limited in his rights because of his religious beliefs. No limitations or privileges based on affiliation or rejection of affiliation to a religion [4] are allowed.
Art. 4 (1) The religions [5] are free and equal in rights. Religious institutions are separate from the state.
(3) The state shall provide conditions for free and unhindered exercise of the rights of religion [6] assisting with maintenance of tolerance and respect between the believers from the different religions and between believers and non-believers.
Art. 5 (1) The right of religion shall be exercised through forming and manifestation of religious belief, establishment or participation in a religious community, organization of a communitys institutions, accomplishment of religious training and education through dissemination of the respective belief orally, in print, by the use of electronic media, in the form of lectures, seminars, courses, programs, etc.
Art. 6 (1)The right of religion shall include the following rights as well:
f) delivery and reception of religious training in a language according to ones own choice;
g) preaching and training of religion or belief in places proper for this purpose according to the communitys and institutions, and creation and maintenance of educational establishments that are appropriate according to the communities and institutions, following the requirements of the law;
Art. 7 (1) Freedom of religions shall not be directed against national security, public order, peoples health and the morals or the rights and freedoms of persons under the jurisdiction of the republic of Bulgaria or other states. Other grounds for limitations of the right of religion, different from the enumerated, shall not be introduced.
Art. 9 Limitation of the right of religion [by a court] may include:
(3) Restriction on public manifestations; [7]
Art. 10 The specific religions are characterized [8] among themselves with their name, religious beliefs and the natural persons composing their religious communities.
Art. 11, paragraph 1. The traditional religion in the Republic of Bulgaria is the Eastern Orthodox. It plays a historic role in Bulgarian statehood and has actual meaning in the states life. Its voice and representative is the autocephalous Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which under the name Patriarchy, [9] is the successor of the Bulgarian Exarchate and is a member of the United, [10] Holy, Congregational and Apostolic Church. It is led by the Holy Synod and is represented by the Bulgarian Patrriarch who is Metropolitan of Sofia.
Art. 13 (1) Religions [12] can establish for their needs ritual, houses of prayer or worship for public religious rites and services in facilities owned or rented by the religious institution or local branch. Buildings of the religions [13] are built observing the Law on Land Use of the Territory and the respective sub-laws [administrative normative acts, taking account [religious needs] [14] .
Art. 21. [15] (1) Religions can have local branches according to their statute.
(2) Local branches shall be registered by the mayors of the municipalities, according to the place of the [mayors] headquarters, under the conditions of notification regime, within a 7-days term, [16] on the basis of an application by the central leadership of the religion or authorised by it person according to the statute.
Art. 27. (1) The state shall support and encourage religions registered under this law for their religious, social, educational and health activity through tax, credit and interes rates, customs and other financial and economical relief under the terms and conditions specified in the respective special laws.
(3) When infringement of the law is detected Ministry of finance informs the prosecutors offices and of the governmental finance control for execution of checks and activities provided in the law.
(2) Legal entities with ideal [17] purpose according to paragraph 1 have not the right to accomplish activities which represent practice of religion in public. [18]
Hospitals, Social and Educational Establishments of Different Religions.
§ 2. (1) Registered establishments of religious education according to Act 6 from the law of the establishment of religious education (State Official Newspaper) preserve their status of legal entities.
§ 6. § 2, para. 2 of the Law on Legal Persons with Not-for-Profit Purpose is amended by replacing the wording religious activity with activity, pertaining to a religion. [19] 
[1] Veroizpovedanie. This term has the two meanings of religion  1) faith principles and forms of worship; and 2) organisation on the basis of 1).
[2] Veroipovedanie.
[3] This is the term by which the official text of the ICCPR and ECHRFF in Bulgarian translates observance.
[4] veroizpovedanie.
[5] Veroizpovedaniya.
[6] Veroizpovedaniya.
[7] The reference to manifestations here is intended broadly, and is not restricted to demonstrations, ceremonial processions, and the like.
[8] Or distinguished, differentiated. The Bulgarian term here is translated literally as characterized and has some of the same sense of awkwardness that the word characterized has in this context.
[9] The Bulgarian for patriarchate.
[10] The original uses the word one as in oneness.
[11] The implication appears to be that an individual cannot be a member of more than one religion, regardless what the religion itself believes on this issue.
[12] Religion.
[13] Religion
[14] The text is unclear as to who must take the religious needs, symbols, etc. into account, and in particular, whether state officials are required to accommodate these needs.
[15] The original article 21 from the Working Group Draft was dropped because it merely duplicates the procedures of the Civil Procedure Code referred to in Article 17.
[16] The idea is that the mayor is obliged to register the local branch within seven days after receiving the notice (including the required application). That is, this is a notice regime, not an approval regime.
[17] In Bulgarian law, ideal purpose organizations means not-for-profit, and includes both public benefit and mutual benefit organizations.
[18] This provision prevents registration of a religion as a mere association. Later in this law (paragraph 5 of the transitional provisions) repeals Article 133(a) of the Law on the Persons and Family which provides that not-for-profit associations and foundations with religious and religious-educational purpose are registered by the court after the consent of the Council of Ministers. The new law on Not-for-Profits provides that organizations with religious activites shall be registered according to a separate law. This excludes the possibility that religious organizations can be registered under the new Not-for-Profit Law. In the current law, there appears to be a repeal of this restriction. In paragraph 6, they replace religious activities with activity which is specific for a religionwhich really effectuates no change.
[19] Religion here is veroiozpovedanie.