US State Department joins in condemnation of the lack of religious freedom in the FYR Macedonia

The Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor published the annual report on the situation with the respect of religious freedom in the FYR Macedonia in the course of 2006.

There is an impression that the greater art of the report has been dedicated to the denial of religious freedom to the citizens, members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71394.htm

FYR. Macedonia has religious prisoners.

The report deals with the imprisonment of His Beatitude, the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, k. k. Jovan implying that with the decision of the Supreme Court from February 2006, his prison sentence was reduced “which led to his release from prison, after which there were no cases of religious or political prisoners in the country”. We remind you that the Archbishop k. k. Jovan, after two releasing verdicts, has once again been put in prison, and the Macedonian Orthodox Church has once again filed a complaint against the liberating verdict reached regarding a third charge raised against him. The indicated proverbial corruption of the Macedonian judiciary is not subject to comment in this observation .

Police coercion and denial of religious freedom may be noticed in the following quotation: “In October 2004 policemen demolished a small monastery that was being built by members of the “Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid” in Nizepole, near Bitola. The organization’s lawyer conceded that the monastery was being constructed without a permit but noted that other buildings in the area, also built without permits, were not destroyed. At the end of the period covered by this report, the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) was unable to obtain a copy of the decision by the competent ministry authorizing the monastery’s destruction.”

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71394.htm

European Commission criticises lack of religious freedom in the FYR Macedonia

Maintaining the religious freedom is a fundamental right, and at the same time, a condition for the FYR Macedonia in order to fulfill the criteria to join the Euro-Atlantic civilization currents. Unfortunately, the Republic is continually violating the elementary religious freedoms of its own citizens and tax payers. In its last year report, the European Commission presented its attitude that “cases of violations of religious freedom exist” in its report (ttp://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2006/nov/fyrom_sec_1387_en.pdf). It also emphasized that the new law “should provide more liberal procedure for registering religious communities”.

According to the newest report of the Venice Commission, yet there are disputable items in the draft law of religious communities, especially at the point – registering religious communities. This report will be a subject of the following text.

The Government of the FYR Macedonia, which protects the monopoly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, is sacrificing the European future of the citizens. Critics point out the Government is only declaratively ready for reforms, while practically the reforms in terms of religious freedoms are tending to be evaded.

At the same time, with the critics, in terms violating religious freedoms in the FYR Macedonia by the International Community, the Fund “Archbishop Jovan” from the United States of America has issued its newest

pdf of report: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2006/nov/fyrom_sec_1387_en.pdf

Religious institutions vandalised and demolished in the FYR Macedonia

Suspicions have been raised about the FYR Macedonian governement's involvement in the demolishing of a half-built Serbian Orthodox church. The incident highlights the rising levels of ethnic hatred and intolerance in the country . The backlash of the campaign to release the imprisoned Serbian Arch Bishop Jovan is also being felt by the Serbian minority. A monastery was also vandalised in the recent backlash against the small Serbian minority.

the church, of which the contruction had been on hold for some time, was recently demolished by local authorities:















http://freearchbishop.com/?p=30

A Serbian Orthodox Chapel was also Vandalised last week in the FYR Macedonia

http://freearchbishop.com/?p=31