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KRISHNA MOVEMENT UNDER ATTACK IN ARMENIA (part 2) (fwd)
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: KRISHNA MOVEMENT UNDER ATTACK IN ARMENIA (part 2) (fwd)
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From: vijaypai@ece.rice.edu (Vijay Sadananda Pai)
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Date: Thu, 20 Apr 95 10:12:37 CDT
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From vijaypai@ece.rice.edu Thu Apr 20 11: 01:39 1995
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In-Reply-To: <3n5tcq$ehl@larry.rice.edu>
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Newsgroups: alt.culture.us.asian-indian, soc.culture.indian, soc.culture.indian.telugu, alt.culture.karnataka, alt.culture.kerala, alt.culture.tamil, soc.culture.indian.kerala, soc.culture.indian.marathi, soc.culture.punjab, soc.culture.asian.american, soc.culture.bangladesh, soc.culture.bengali, soc.culture.nepal, soc.rights.human
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Organization: Rice University
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References: <3n5t6r$eea@larry.rice.edu>
In article <3n5t6r$eea@larry.rice.edu>,
Vijay Sadananda Pai <vijaypai@kachori.rice.edu> wrote:
>Please register a protest about the treatment of the Hare Krishna
>followers in Armenia.
>For further information and further updates on this
>campaign please contact:
>
>ISKCON Communications Europe
>
>premarnava.hks@com.bbt.se
Persecution of Hare Krishna Members in Armenia
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Introduction
The following is a report prepared by ISKCON Communications Europe on the
persecution of Hare Krishna members in Armenia. This case has been taken
up by Amnesty International and a report on the following events has been
prepared by the US embassy in Yerevan, which was included in the US
Department of State's 1995 Human Rights Report on Armenia. The Swedish
Foreign Office also included this case in their 1995 report. The case
has also been reported to the Office for International Human Rights of the
CSCE. A letter writing campaign directed at the President of Armenia was
begun in September of this year and demonstrations have taken place at
various Armenian embassies around the world.
History
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON or the Hare
Krishna Movement) was introduced to Armenia in 1981. Within a few years a
group of some thirty to forty followers formed an association for the
practice of their religion in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan.
During the Soviet regime in Armenia, members of ISKCON lived under the
constant supervision of the KGB, in hiding, on the run and later in
prison and mental institutions.
In 1985 and in 1986 the KGB orchestrated two court cases against members
of the society. As a result of these two cases eleven Hare Krishnas' were
imprisoned in State prisons, labour camps and psychiatric hospitals. Among
them were Karen Saakian, Armen Saakian, Suren Karapetian, Sarkis
Ogandzhanian, Gagik Buniatian, Agvan Arytyunian, Armine Hrtian, Ara
Akopian and Armen Sarkisian.
One of those imprisoned that time, Sarkis Ogandzhanian (23 yrs. of age),
died on December 27th. 1987, from tuberculosis and malnutrition in labour
camp YU-25/"B" situated in the Orenburg Territory of the Russian
Republic. He had entered the camp as a perfectly healthy young man and he
was due to have been released in January 1988.
Another member, Martik Zhamkochian (25 yrs. of age), died in a psychiatric
hospital in the Sovetashen District of Yerevan in July 1986. In the
psychiatric hospital he was force-fed with raw eggs, which were
administered through a tube and he was simultaneously injected with large
doses of psycho-pharmacological drugs. After several days of such
"treatment" he died.
In 1985, in Sweden the Committee to Free Soviet Hare Krishnas was formed.
The Committee publicised the violations against civil, religious and human
rights surrounding the persecution of the Soviet Hare Krishnas. Many human
rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, Helsinki Watch,
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and The Committee for
Human Rights in Eastern Europe took part in the campaign to free the
Soviet Hare Krishnas. Due to the efforts of the Committee and world-wide
support for the campaign most of the Hare Krishna members imprisoned were
released between 1987-1988.
In 1989-90 the proposed transition to a more democratic society promised
hope for religious freedom. In 1990 ISKCON was, for the first time,
officially registered as a religion in Armenia. There are now about 250
ISKCON members resident in Armenia and ISKCON maintains congregations in
the towns of Gyumri, Kirovakan, Eghnadzor, Kapan and Ashtarak.
Social contribution
Even before the official registration, ISKCON had started various
religious and humanitarian programmes which included Hare Krishna Food for
Life, a food distribution programme for the needy. In December 1988, three
days after a devastating earthquake in Leninakan (now Gyumri) a group of
thirty Hare Krishna members (both from Russia and Armenia) went to
Leninakan and started free food distribution. The money for the programme
was collected internationally. For about five months 1000 free meals were
distributed daily to the victims of the earthquake.
Unfortunately the promise of religious tolerance was short-lived. Despite
attempts by ISKCON members to make a positive social contribution and to
live in peaceful co-existence with other religious communities; our
members in Armenia have noted an increase in animosity towards them which
seemed to parallel an increase of nationalism and a revival of traditional
religion. ISKCON's charitable activities have recently been prohibited by
a direct order from Mr. Khachik Stamboltsian, chairman of the Supreme
Council Commission on Refugees and Emergencies.
In spite of the restrictions on ISKCON's free food distribution programme,
ISKCON members continue to distribute 1,000 free meals each day in
Armenia, especially in hospitals and among refugees.
