Turkish translation of OSCE/ODIHR-Venice Commission Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief Communities launched in Istanbul

The Turkish translation of the Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief Communities was launched in Istanbul on 19 November 2015, at a meeting bringing together more than 50 representatives of public authorities, religious or belief communities, academia and civil society organizations.

The meeting was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s Freedom of Belief Initiative in Turkey, Istanbul Bilgi University’s Human Rights Law Research Centre and the International Centre for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, in the United States. The participants discussed the implementation of minimum international standards in the area of recognition of religious or belief communities, as enshrined in the Guidelines.

"We welcome the initiative of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee to translate the Guidelines into Turkish language. Legal personality plays an important role in ensuring the functioning, viability and security of religious or belief communities," said Kishan Manocha, ODIHR Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion and Belief.  "We look forward to enhancing our co-operation with relevant stakeholders at the national level to facilitate the implementation of the Guidelines."

"The meeting focused on discussions related to the meaning, relevance and applicability of the Guidelines for Turkey and the ways to move their implementation forward," said Mine Yildirim, Director of the Freedom of Belief Initiative in Turkey. "The Guidelines are a valuable resource, stipulating key principles and international standards pertaining to the issue of legal personality or religious or belief communitiesThey are an advocacy tool for promoting freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and other related fundamental human rights."

Cole Durham, Director of the International Centre for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, said: "The Guidelines are the most authoritative statement to date on the rights of religious and belief communities to secure legal recognition in their countries."

The Guidelines, developed jointly with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, are the product of extensive consultations with civil society and government officials. Four roundtable discussions were held to obtain feedback to the draft versions of this document, including in Kyiv and Warsaw in September 2013, in Astana and Brussels in October 2013, bringing together more than 90 participants from different backgrounds. In addition, ODIHR’s Advisory Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief provided advice on the document. The Guidelines also rely on the important work done in this area by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Professor Heiner Bielefeldt.