What about Our Rights? The State and Minority Religious Communities in Croatia: A Case Study

Abstract

In December 2007, three registered minority religious communitiesin Croatia took a discrimination case against the Republic of Croatia to the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) in Strassbourg. This paper documents the entire case, from the public announcement of the law suit to the final decision ofthe ECHR, which ruled in favour of the three religious communities. In a broader sense, this case study deals with church-state relations in Croatia and points to some important consequences of the case for religious rights, religious freedom,and governing by the rule of law in Croatia.