COCHABAMBA, Bolivia — Evangelical Christians have begun their battle against new measures that could result in the dissolution of Protestant denominations and other groups that have ministered in Bolivia for decades.
As organizations that fail to comply with the new government measures will lose their legal standing, the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia (ANDEB) presented a petition of unconstitutionality July 30 to the country’s constitutional tribunal seeking their repeal.
“This law is totally unconstitutional, incongruent with religious liberty as enshrined in Article 4 of the constitution,” said Cochabamba attorney Ruth Montaño, who helped frame ANDEB’s petition of unconstitutionality.
Law 351, passed by the Bolivian legislative assembly in March 2013, aims to “regulate the granting and registration of legal standing to churches, religious groups and spiritual beliefs whose goals do not involve profit.” Setting guidelines for implementation of Law 351, Supreme Decree 1987 stipulates that any religious organization in the country — Jewish and Muslim communities as well as Protestant churches — must reapply for legal standing within the next year.
Decree 1987 imposes a list of burdensome preconditions upon religious organizations that contradict the language of Article 4.
Failure to produce the required paperwork or flaws in the reports as determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will result in the cancellation of the organization’s legal standing. This in turn would lead to confiscation of church properties, dissolution of worship services and closure of training centers, Montaño said.
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