The applicant is a religious community that belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which, when the application was lodged in 2019, was associated with the Moscow Patriarchate and headed by the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Onufriy. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Orthodox Church in Ptycha Village of Dubenskyy District v. Ukraine (no. 8906/19)
9. Oktober 2025 — Dr. Georg NeureitherECHR: Suverénní řád Maltézských rytířů – České velkopřevorství v. the Czech Republic (application no. 15440/22)
11. September 2025 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant, Suverénní řád Maltézských rytířů – České velkopřevorství, is an ecclesiastical unit of the Roman Catholic Church with legal personality. In 1945, some of its immovable property and land was the subject of several confiscation notices (konfiskační vyhlášky) issued under Presidential Decree no. 12/1945, which provided for immediate confiscation, without compensation, of agricultural property owned by people or companies/corporations who had intentionally served the German war machine for fascist or Nazi purposes. In April 1948 the applicant’s property was further subjected to the expropriation procedure under Law no. 142/1947. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
OVG Berlin-Brandenburg: Kein Gesichtsschleier (Niqab) am Steuer
29. April 2025 — Dr. Georg NeureitherFrauen muslimischen Glaubens haben keinen Anspruch auf eine Ausnahmegenehmigung für das Führen eines Kraftfahrzeugs mit einem Gesichtsschleier (Niqab). Das OVG Berlin-Brandenburg hat eine entsprechende Entscheidung des VG Berlin bestätigt. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
VG Berlin: Kein Gesichtsschleier (Niqab) am Steuer
27. Januar 2025 — Dr. Georg NeureitherEine Frau muslimischen Glaubens ist vor dem VG Berlin mit einer Klage gescheitert, mit der sie eine Ausnahmegenehmigung für das Führen eines Kraftfahrzeugs mit einem Gesichtsschleier erstreiten wollte. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Church of Greece v. Greece (application no. 44547/15)
21. Januar 2025 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant organisation is the Church of Greece. The Church manages the Asomaton Petraki Holy Monastery, which had owned three tracts of land totalling 31.9 hectares in the prefecture of Athens. In 1980 the State agreed a contract with the Church to transfer parts of the 31.9 hectares to the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for it to build a university hospital within ten years. The hospital was not built, so in 2013 the Church asked the Minister of Finance for the Monastery to be declared the owner of the 31.9 hectares again. The case concerns the legal proceedings which followed in that connection. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
BGH: Erbbaurechtlicher Heimfallanspruch wegen nicht fristgerechter Fertigstellung einer Moschee
19. Januar 2024 — Dr. Georg NeureitherDer unter anderem für das Erbbaurecht zuständige V. Zivilsenat des BGH hat entschieden, dass eine Gemeinde, die als Grundstückseigentümerin mit einem Privaten in einem Erbbaurechtsvertrag den Ausschluss der Vergütung für das Erbbaurecht beim Heimfall vereinbart, allein hierdurch nicht gegen das Gebot angemessener Vertragsgestaltung verstößt. Allerdings unterliegt die Geltendmachung des Anspruchs auf vergütungslose Rückübertragung des Erbbaurechts einer strengen Ausübungskontrolle im Hinblick auf die Verhältnismäßigkeit des gemeindlichen Handelns. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Midyat Saint Gabriel’s Syriac Monastery Foundation (no. 13176/13)
3. Oktober 2023 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant, the Midyat Saint Gabriel’s Syriac Monastery Foundation (Midyat Süryani Deyrulumur Mor Gabriel Manastırı Vakfı), a foundation established under Turkish law, is a religious institution that was created during the Ottoman Empire. Its status is currently governed by Law no. 2762 of 13 June 1935, under which it is a legal entity. In particular, the Foundation manages Saint Gabriel’s Monastery (Mor Gabriel Manastırı), one of the oldest monasteries in the world, which is located in Midyat, Mardin province, where it was built in the fourth century. The case concerns the judicial authorities’ refusal to order the registration, in the applicant foundation’s name, of land that it claims has been in its possession without interruption for a long period of time and is part of the cemetery of the Syriac community. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Chief Rabbinate of the Jewish Community in İzmir v. Türkiye (no. 1574/12)
14. März 2023 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant is the Chief Rabbinate of the Jewish Community in İzmir. At the relevant time it was a religious institution whose members were Turkish citizens of the Jewish faith. On 13 December 2011 it acquired the status of foundation and took the name “Foundation of the Jewish Community of İzmir”. The case concerns judicial proceedings following which the foundation was denied permission to register property, namely a plot of land on which was erected a former synagogue, its claim being that the land had belonged to it for a long time. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Arnavutkoy Greek Orthodox Taksiarhis Church Foundation v. Türkiye (no. 27269/09)
15. November 2022 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant association, the Arnavutkoy Greek Orthodox Taksiarhis Church Foundation (Arnavutköy Taksiarhis Rum Kilisesi Vakfı), is one of the foundations under Turkish law of the Greek Orthodox Community of Istanbul. The case concerns judicial proceedings leading to a refusal to register property which, according to the applicant foundation, had been in its continuous possession for a long period and had been mentioned in a declaration of 1936, its founding document. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
OLG Stuttgart: Stadt Leinfelden-Echterdingen gewinnt im Moscheestreit
13. September 2022 — Dr. Georg NeureitherDer 10. Zivilsenat des OLG Stuttgart hat den beklagten muslimischen Verein für Kultur, Bildung und Integration u.a. zur Rückübertragung des Erbbaurechts eines mit einer Moschee bebauten Grundstücks in Oberaichen verpflichtet und sein Begehren auf Übertragung des Eigentums an diesem Grundstück abgewiesen. Dem liegt zu Grunde, dass die Stadt und der Verein 2014 einen Erbbaurechtsvertrag geschlossen haben, nach dem die Stadt als Grundstückseigentümerin u.a. eine Rückübertragung des Erbbaurechts bei einer Nichterfüllung vertraglicher Pflichten verlangen kann. Über dieses sog. Heimfallrecht sowie die Ausübung eines Wiederkaufsrechts durch die Stadt streiten die Parteien, nachdem der beklagte Verein als Bauherr seinen vertraglichen Pflichten nicht nachgekommen ist: Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
ECHR: Failure to grant congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses exemption from property tax in the Brussels-Capital Region since 2018 was discriminatory
5. April 2022 — Dr. Georg NeureitherIn today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Assemblée Chrétienne Des Témoins de Jéhovah d’Anderlecht and Others v. Belgium (application no. 20165/20) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) read in conjunction with Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights and with Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) to the Convention. The case concerned congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses which complained of being denied exemption from payment of a property tax (précompte immobilier) in respect of properties in the Brussels-Capital Region used by them for religious worship. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
Bundestag: Serbisch-orthodoxe Religionsgemeinschaft in Montenegro
22. Oktober 2020 — Dr. Georg NeureitherDer Bundesregierung sind keine Einschränkungen wegen der Zugehörigkeit zur serbisch-orthodoxen Religionsgemeinschaft durch den Staat oder durch Parteien und Organisationen in Montenegro bekannt. Wie sie in der Antwort (BT-Dr 19/23407) auf eine Kleine Anfrage der AfD-Fraktion (BT-Dr 19/22521) schreibt, habe die serbisch-orthodoxe Kirche eine „traditionell starke Stellung in der montenegrinischen Gesellschaft, trotz offizieller Trennung von Kirche und Staat“. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
Bundestag: Situation von Religionsgemeinschaften in Montenegro
30. September 2020 — Dr. Georg NeureitherDie Lage von Religionsgemeinschaften in Montenegro thematisiert die AfD-Fraktion in einer Kleinen Anfrage (BT-Dr 19/22521). Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
EGMR: Bosnia and Herzegovina must enforce decisions ordering removal of church built on Srebrenica genocide survivors’ land
1. Oktober 2019 — Dr. Georg NeureitherIn today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Orlović and Others v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (application no. 16332/18) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) to the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned a church built by the Serbian Orthodox Parish on the applicants’ land after they had had to flee their property during the 1992– 95 war. The Court found in particular that the authorities’ failure to comply with final and binding decisions of 1999 and 2001 ordering full repossession of the land by the applicants, without any justification on the part of the Government for such inaction, had seriously frustrated their property rights. It also held, by six votes to one, under Article 46 (binding force and implementation) that the respondent State had to ensure enforcement of the two decisions in the applicants’ favour, including in particular the removal of the church from the applicants’ land, at the latest within three months of this judgment becoming final. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
EGMR: Forthcoming judgment on Tuesday 1 October 2019 – Orlović and Others v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (application no. 16332/18)
26. September 2019 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicants are a family of 14 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, born between 1942 and 1982. They live in Konjević Polje and Srebrenik, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They survive the first applicant’s husband and more than 20 other relatives who were killed in the Srebrenica genocide in 1995. The case concerns a church built by the Serbian Orthodox Parish on the applicants’ land after they had to flee their property in Konjević Polje during the 1992–95 war. The property belonged to the first applicant’s husband and his brother and consisted of several individual and agricultural buildings, fields and meadows. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
EGMR: Kosmas and Others v. Greece (no. 20086/13)
29. Juni 2017 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenThe applicants are five Greek nationals, George Kosmas, his wife Kyratso Kosma and their three children, who live on the island of Skopelos. The case concerned the privileges enjoyed by monasteries in Greece relating to real estate of which they had been claiming ownership before the courts. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
Jens Felix Müller, Religiöse Kunst im Konflikt zwischen Urheberrecht und Sacheigentum
1. März 2017 — Dr. Georg NeureitherIn vielen Fällen können die Interessen des Eigentümers eines Kunstwerks mit denjenigen des Urhebers in Konflikt geraten. Dies droht insbesondere, wenn der Umgang des Eigentümers mit seinem Werkstück das Immaterialgüterrecht des Schöpfers berührt. Besonders vielschichtig ist dieser Interessenkonflikt bei Werken der religiösen Kunst. Hier können auf Seiten der Beteiligten religiöse Motive eine Rolle spielen; bei der Konfliktentscheidung können dann insbesondere Wertungen der Religionsfreiheit und des kirchlichen Selbstbestimmungsrechts zu berücksichtigen sein. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
LG Köln: Urteil im Verfahren gegen acht Angeklagte wegen Einbrüchen in Kirchen und Schulen
30. Januar 2017 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenDie 1. Große Strafkammer des LG Köln hat am 30.01.2017 in einem Verfahren gegen insgesamt acht Angeklagte Freiheitsstrafen von 2 Jahren und 7 Monaten bis zu 4 Jahren und 10 Monaten verhängt. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
EGMR: Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza v. Spain (no. 38963/08)
20. Dezember 2016 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenThe applicant company, Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza, is a limited company founded in 1978 under Spanish law, based in Ribas de Campos (Palencia). The case concerned the company’s ownership claim over religious buildings on a plot of land which had formerly belonged to the Catholic Church and which the company purchased at a public auction. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
EGMR: Forthcoming judgment on Tuesday 20 December 2016 – Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza v. Spain (no. 38963/08)
16. Dezember 2016 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenThe applicant company, Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza, is a limited company founded in 1978 under Spanish law, based in Ribas de Campos (Palencia). The case concerned the company’s ownership claim over religious buildings on a plot of land which had formerly belonged to the Catholic Church and which the company purchased at a public auction. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
EGMR: Breach of the principle of legal certainty in a case concerning the restitution of a place of worship (no. 76943/11)
29. November 2016 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenIn today’s Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Lupeni Greek Catholic Parish and Others v. Romania (application no. 76943/11) the European Court of Human Rights held: Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
OLG Stuttgart: Klagen über Vermögenswerte im Umfeld des Klosters Neresheim auch in zweiter Instanz abgewiesen
22. November 2016 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenDer 6. Zivilsenat des OLG Stuttgart unter dem Vorsitz von Dr. Oliver Mosthaf wies mit am 22.11.2016 verkündeten Urteilen die Berufungen der Kläger in drei Verfahren über Vermögenswerte im Umfeld des Klosters Neresheim zurück. Der Senat bestätigte damit im Ergebnis Entscheidungen des LG Ellwangen, das die geltend gemachten Ansprüche für nicht bewiesen erachtet hatte. Kläger waren zwei Privatpersonen (6 U 156/14) und ein Rechtsanwalt (6 U 181/14 und 6 U 183/14), der im Berufungsverfahren zugleich eine der beiden Privatpersonen vertrat. Beklagter war ein rechtsfähiger Verein mit dem Namen „Benediktinerkloster Neresheim e.V.“. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
EGMR: Forthcoming Grand Chamber judgment in a case concerning the restitution of a place of worship (no. 76943/11)
22. November 2016 — Ass. iur. Klaus KohnenThe European Court of Human Rights will be delivering a Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Lupeni Greek Catholic Parish and Others v. Romania (application no. 76943/11) at a public hearing on 29 November 2016 at 4 p.m. in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg. The case concerned a request for restitution of a place of worship that had belonged to the Greek Catholic Church and was transferred during the totalitarian regime to the ownership of the Orthodox Church. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen
EGMR: Rozalia Avram v. Romania (no. 19037/07)
5. April 2016 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant, Rozalia Avram, is a Romanian national who was born in 1947 and lives in Arad (Romania). The case concerned a building which formerly belonged to the Catholic diocese of Oradea and became State property under limitation legislation. Several apartments in the building were sold to the tenants, including Ms Avram. In 1998 the diocese applied to the domestic courts for restitution of the building, but its application was dismissed by the Timişoara Court of Appeal. The diocese then brought an action for cancellation of the contracts of sale of the apartments, which action was this time allowed by the same Court of Appeal. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
EGMR: Forthcoming judgment on Tuesday 5 April 2016 – Rozalia Avram v. Romania (no. 19037/07)
1. April 2016 — Dr. Georg NeureitherThe applicant, Rozalia Avram, is a Romanian national who was born in 1947 and lives in Arad (Romania). The case concerns a building which formerly belonged to the Catholic diocese of Oradea and became State property under limitation legislation. Several apartments in the building were sold to the tenants, including Ms Avram. In 1998 the diocese applied to the domestic courts for restitution of the building, but its application was dismissed by the Timişoara Court of Appeal. The diocese then brought an action for cancellation of the contracts of sale of the apartments, which action was this time allowed by the same Court of Appeal. Den Rest des Beitrags lesen »
Religion – Weltanschauung – Recht [ RWR ] 