51 sectarian organizations operate in Armenia August 17, 2011 - 15:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - 67 religious organizations are registered in Armenia, 10 of which function under the Armenian Apostolic Church, 6 are old branches of traditional churches while the other 51 are sects. As Head of the Center for Aid and Rehabilitation to the Victims of Destructive Cults, Alexander Amaryan told a press conference on August 17, about 300-350 thousand people in Armenia are members of various sectarian organizations. “From the legal point of view, these organizations are independent. However, it’s not a secret that they are all financed by the United States,” Amaryan said. He noted that from 2 to 7 years are needed to bring a “zombified” person back to normal life. “We have no law to call those responsible to account and no law to control these organizations,” he said, pointing out to the lack of lawyers, religious specialists and psychologists. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |