section: archbishop\announcements

17.01.2012

Archbishop Jovan transferred to the strictest closed section of the “Idrizovo” prison

His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, on January 16th, in the afternoon hours, was transferred from the prison reception section to the closed section of the “Idrizovo” prison.

Although the procedure of deciding whether he should be allowed a retrial and be released free pending trial is still not finished, the prison authorities decided to put Archbishop Jovan in the section where the sanctions with strictest treatment are executed.

The sentence that Archbishop Jovan received in the court process in which he was sentenced in his absence is two years and 6 months imprisonment, which is not at all a sentence deserving the strictest closed treatment, since other prisoners, sentenced to much longer prison terms, are receiving the open, or the semi-open treatment.

According to the information reaching the public, that decision is the result of the demands of the schismatic “Macedonian Orthodox Church” (MOC) which insisted Archbishop Jovan be confined under most strict prison conditions, and make all communications outside the prison more difficult for him.

From the Office of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Metropolitanate of Skopje.

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section: news

17.01.2012

Dean Mr. Michael Tritos: the Martyrdom of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid

The Dean of the Theological Faculty in Thessaloniki and Professor of History and Contemporary Life of the Slavic and the other Orthodox Churches, Mr. Michael Tritos, for Romfea.gr commented the latest, fifth imprisonment of Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, in the “Idrizovo” prison.

Among other things, the Dean Mr. Michael Tritos highlighted the following:

Lately, with pain in our souls and with indignation, we are witnessing the brutal violation of the human rights in the personality of the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan. This hierarch-martyr is repeatedly receiving convicting verdicts from the courts in Skopje, because he had the courage to proclaim that the church in Skopje is schismatic and despises the basic principles of the orthodox christian ecclesiology, while favoring ethnophiletistic causes. In the beginning he was accused for inciting religious and national hatred. Latest, he is accused of money embezzlement.

Unfortunately, a country that claims it respects the human rights and religious freedoms and wishes to enter NATO and the European Union, in its foundations cultivates an authoritarian regime and strives for physical and moral destruction of Archbishop Jovan with the silent inactivity and indifference of the European Union and the United States of America.

Source: http://www.romfea.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10602

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section: news

15.01.2012

The Orthodox Bishops of America condemned the imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and demanded his release

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America consists of the active Bishops, representatives of all topical Orthodox Churches (namely, the Bishops are of all nationalities: American, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Russian, Greek, Georgian etc.).

This Assembly of Bishops of America, in the announcement published on their web-site, has condemned the imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, and demanded his release.

Their demand has been addressed to the US State Department, Congress and Senate, as well as all governments of the states they originate from, in order to speed the process up.

Following, we are enclosing the mentioned demand:

Source document: http://assemblyofbishops.org/news/releases/archbishop-jovan-release

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section: archbishop\announcements

13.01.2012

Announcement

The schismatic organization in R. Macedonia, the “Macedonian Orthodox Church” (MOC), is openly acting to influence the judiciary in R. Macedonia, against the rights of His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan. Namely, there is no such convict in R. Macedonia who was sentenced in absence, and was not allowed retrial in his presence, once the conditions for that, as prescribed by the law, were met.

The schismatic MOC is acting in direction that Archbishop Jovan would not be allowed a retrial, although he has been sentenced in his absence, and fulfills all conditions, required by the law, to be allowed a retrial. Archbishop Jovan is already one month in R. Macedonia, in the “Idrizovo” prison, and from there he is requesting to be allowed a retrial, and at the same time the proof has been submitted that he observed and satisfies the required term of one year since he learned about the verdict, in order to request repetition of the court process. And, since all the required conditions to grant a repetition of the court process were fulfilled, the Court of First Instance in Veles decided so, in an urgent proceeding, but through the Public Prosecutor, the schismatic MOC submitted a complaint on that decision. The complaint by the MOC was not in regard to the fact that Archbishop Jovan was granted the right to remain free pending trial, but it was a request not to allow a retrial in his presence, at all. The Appellate Court in Skopje returned the case for a new decision in the court in Veles, and now there is a possibility that the court in Veles will not allow a retrial for Archbishop Jovan in his presence. With that, he would be the first and only example in R. Macedonia, of a person who is not granted the legal right to be tried in his presence.

For this case, for which a repetition of the court process is requested, Archbishop Jovan has already been acquitted twice, when he was granted the right to defend himself in his presence. The third time the court reaches a verdict in his absence, and sentences him. So, as if Archbishop Jovan was deprived of his right to defend himself, and at the end, he was sentenced. Now MOC is requesting something which is utterly against the law, to force Archbishop Jovan to serve the prison-term sentence from a court process in which he was not given the possibility to defend himself in his presence.

Knowing up to which degree human rights, and especially religious freedoms, are being violated in R. Macedonia, and having in mind that all previous court processes against Archbishop Jovan were political, the request from the Public Prosecutor, despite being unlawful, is not at all peculiar. What is peculiar is that it is being initiated and supported by the schismatic MOC. MOC, although is in schism with all Orthodox Churches, is at the same time a religious organization. For any religious organization, but especially for Christians, it is characteristic to stand for the defense of the human and religious rights, and even to be merciful against the ones who violated some law; but, opposite to that, the MOC is doing everything it can to completely violate the already restricted human and religious rights of Archbishop Jovan. When in 2005 Archbishop Jovan was sentenced for inciting national and religious hatred, and was imprisoned, one of the bishops of the MOC, and even an hagiorite – as he calls himself (he was seven years on Mount Athos), requested from the authorities that Archbishop Jovan is sentenced for treason against the state and be sentenced a life imprisonment. Finally, in the last 30 days, during which the Archbishop is in prison, two, and indeed of the oldest, bishops of the MOC made their statements in public, requesting from the state authorities that Archbishop Jovan remains in prison and not be allowed defense in his presence.

Such actions and statements by the bishops of the schismatic MOC are not to be commented, because their shamelessness, and especially their unchristian basis, is easily noticeable. Everybody among the orthodox, and even broader, already recognizes Archbishop Jovan as a contemporary confessor of the faith, but the question being raised is: how does the schismatic MOC with such actions and totally unchristian mentality think that it can enter the unity with the other Churches? It is obvious that it has no sincere intention to be a real Church and step out of the schism, but in order not to be treated as a heretical organization, it wants to leave an impression in public that it is interested in solving the state of schism in which it is dwelling.

However, the Church is a family which can recognize its own.

From the Office of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Metropolitanate of Skopje.

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section: archbishop\announcements

12.01.2012

Announcement

Upon a complaint by the Public Prosecution in Veles and under strong political pressure, the Appellate Court in Skopje has dismissed the decision of the Court of First Instance in Veles that granted Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan a repeat of the court process in which he was sentenced to a prison term in absence.

Archbishop Jovan remains in prison upon the request by the schismatic MOC, until a new decision is made by the Court of First Instance in Veles.

From the Office of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Metropolitanate of Skopje

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section: archbishop\announcements

12.12.2011

Announcement

Today, on 12^th December 2011, in attempt to enter R. Macedonia, on the border-crossing Medzitlija, on the border with Greece, the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje kyr kyr Jovan was arrested and taken to the “Idrizovo” prison, near Skopje. Upon the false accusations by the schismatic organization in R. Macedonia, in 2010 Archbishop Jovan was sentenced a prison term, but because the court process was performed in his absence, he has the legal right to request a repeat of the procedure. Therefore, it is expected that in three to five days he should be released from prison, and granted a new court procedure during which he would defend himself from freedom. Only as a reminder, on 16^th November 2010 Archbishop Jovan was arrested on the Bulgarian border, upon a request by the Macedonian bureau of Interpol, in regard to exactly this court sentence, but the Court in Bulgaria released him with a rationale that the court verdict in R. Macedonia was a result of the persecution on religious grounds, which the Archbishop undergoes for nine years already, and not because he was indeed guilty according to the criminal law.

From the office of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Metropolitanate of Skopje

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section: news

16.09.2011

The US State Department about the religious freedoms in R. Macedonia

Recently, the US State Department issued the latest semiannual report regarding the situations which affect the religious freedoms in R. Macedonia. Namely, although the country either says nothing about it, or only repeats that the respect of the religious freedoms is on a high level, in the mentioned Report indicates the restrictions of the religious freedoms, which the state imposes towards the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

The report follows the detention of His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan in Bulgaria, stating that until the closing period of the Report, he has not been extradited to R. Macedonia. Since this Report treats the period from July to December 2010, it does not include the acquittal verdict of the Bulgarian court, with the explanation that “the charges for alleged financial embezzlement are only continuation of the political persecution on religious grounds.”

At the same time, the US State Department points out the problem with the non-implementation of the law for registration of the religious communities. By adopting that law, R. Macedonia has only put make-up on the domestic judicial order, but in the practice, the law for registration of the religious communities does not function. Contrary to the euro-atlantic civilization flows, the registration of the religious communities is hindered, thus leaving more rejected than accepted religious communities in the court registers. The country continues to protect the monopoly of the MOC. The State Department Report undoubtedly points out that among the rejected is also the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, which “does not recognize the MOC’s self-declared autocephaly”, adding that “the autocephaly of the MOC is also not recognized by other Orthodox churches.”

The Report indisputably determines that “there were reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice” and bringing to attention that: “members of the Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid claimed that they were subjected to undue government monitoring and harassment, including being delayed by border guards, based on their religious beliefs.“

At the end, the Report reminds that the Ambassador and the other officials of the US Embassy regularly meet with the representatives of the religious communities, as well as with government officials, to whom they indicate the necessity of respecting the religious freedoms, as part of the policy for promotion of the human rights.

The recommendations for a complete and definitive respect of the religious freedoms, which our homeland receives from the international community, at the same time represent a condition for the integration of R. Macedonia into the euro-atlantic structures.

The report is published at the following address: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168324.htm

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section: holy synod of bishops\correspondence

Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje

Protocol № 96 from 3^rd March 2010

To: The Council of Europe, Strasbourg

Highly esteemed,

At the beginning of this addressing, we send You our greetings.

In continuation, we would like to very briefly inform You about the violation of the basic religious freedoms of the part of the citizens of R. Macedonia. We are acquainted with the fact that our country will be presiding the Council of Europe and we consider that it is necessary to draw attention to the paradoxical situation that an esteemed institution, such as the Council of Europe, will be presided exactly by R. Macedonia, which violates the basic religious freedoms of a part of its own citizens! Namely, in R. Macedonia exists the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric with a recognized autonomous status in the world of Orthodox Christianity, but persecuted by the state in its homeland. Her prelate, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje k.k. Jovan, has served two prison terms because of his religious beliefs, and the court on two terms refuses the registration of the Archbishopric in the register of religious communities. In regard to the imprisonments of Archbishop Jovan and the refusal of registration of the Archbishopric to which, among the other nationalities, the Macedonian citizens of Serbian nationality also belong, the representative of the Serbs in the Government and Member of Parliament, Mr. Ivan Stoiljkovic stated: “it is not being mentioned that the Serbs in Macedonia cannot realize their religious freedom, granted by the Constitution” (Blic, 24^th February 2010).

For a more precise insight into the above stated, in continuation we enclose a chronological overview of a part of the events, since the constitution of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric in 2002 until today.

The residence of Archbishop John in Veles, which was his only home, was broken into

and he was expelled by the police, without a court order and a period for moving out, 6th July 2002


• Upon entering in the canonical and ecclesiastical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church — and through that with the whole community of Orthodox Churches — in June 2002, Archbishop Jovan was illegally and brutally expelled from his residence and cathedra in Veles, by the police, without a court order and without a period for moving out.
• In the same manner, illegally and without a court order or period for moving out, the monks of four monasteries, were expelled from their monasteries, i.e. homes, in January 2004, immediately after joining the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

Archbishop Jovan and the nuns in custody in a police station in Bitola, January 2004
• The declaratively secular state legalized its identification with a specific religious community — the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC), through the Parliament’s “Declaration for support of the autocephaly of the MOC” reached on 23^rd January 2004, thus favoring a single religious community at the cost of discrimination of the other religious communities.
• In February 2004, the monastery, “St. John Chrysostom”, in the village Nizepole, was broken into by armed and masked men, who — not finding the Archbishop Jovan they were after — harassed and threatened the nuns with machine-guns, cut their hair and set the monastery on fire. Until this day, the police has not found the perpetrators.


• The Church in the “St. John Chrysostom” monastery was illegally demolished by the state authorities on 15^th October 2004.

the service of sanctification of the foundations for the church in the “St. John Chrysostomos” monastery in Nizepole, near Bitola. Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros (Orthodox Church of Greece) and Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Preslav (Bulgarian Orthodox Church) took part in the service together with the Bishops and clergy of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric on 18th September 2004.

The church in the “St John Chrysostom” monastery, before the destruction.


• On 3^rd November 2004 the State Commission for Relations with the Religious Communities and Groups refused the registration of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, without stating essential grounds for the refusal.
• On 22^nd June 2005, Archbishop Jovan was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for “Instigation of ethnic, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance”. The verdict stated the conviction relied on these three points: 1) he agreed to be appointed as an Exarch of the Ohrid Archbishopric in Macedonia, 2) he participated in the ordination of the bishops Joakim and Marko and 3) he officiated at a religious service in an apartment owned by his parents. He served 220 days in prison before the Constitutional court declared the last two of these three points, upon which the sentenced was based, to be unconstitutional and his sentence was shortened to 8 months.

Archbishop Jovan taken to trial – such images of the Archbishop accompanied by policemen were frequently presented to the public by the media, even before any convicting verdicts were reached, only in order to present him as a criminal
• In 2006, Archbishop Jovan was sentenced for the second time, on charges for “Embezzlement”, and as a second defendant was sentenced 2 years imprisonment, while the first defendant was sentenced 1 year and 3 months. He served 256 days before the Court of Appeals shortened his prison term, and he was released.

Archbishop Jovan taken to trial – such images of the Archbishop accompanied by policemen were frequently presented to the public by the media, even before any convicting verdicts were reached, only in order to present him as a criminal


• The chapel “St. Nektarios of Aegina” in the suburb of Skopje, after being broken into and vandalized on several occasions, was at the end completely demolished on 12^th July 2005, before the eyes of the police, which undertook nothing to prevent the incident.
• Bishop Marko was beaten up while serving at a public graveyard on 10^th February 2007. The police refused to investigate the case.

The chapel “St. Nectarios of Aegina” before the vandalization.

The chapel “St. Nectarios of Aegina” after the vandalization on 12th July 2005



The chapel “St. Nectarios of Aegina” after the vandalization. The signature of the vandals: МПЦ = MOC (Macedonian Orthodox Church)

Inside the Chapel — sacrilage of the Holy Altar.


• The clergy of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is constantly being harassed at the border-crossings by the police. (See: http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=506)
• On 28^th July 2009 the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric was for the second time refused registration, this time by the Court (which, according to the new religion law, took the responsibility for the registration of religious communities and groups).
• The clergy of other Orthodox Churches is not allowed to enter the country, for several years already.

The Ministry of interior affairs announces the refusal for entry in the country to Greek Orthodox clergymen intending to visit Ohrid
• On 15^th October 2009, Archbishop Jovan has been sentenced for the third time, on charges for “Embezzlement”, in a court process which lasted 8 years. As in the previous cases, he has first twice been acquitted by the primary court, but the court of appeals returned the case, until a newly appointed judge finally convicted him. He is to serve 2 years and 6 months prison term and to pay damage of 240.000 Euros to the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) for items that the expertise proved that have remained property of the MOC.
• Although in order to comply with the European legislation, a new law for registration of religious communities has been adopted in May 2007, that law practically never began to function. The application for registration of our Church, the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, as already pointed out, was rejected also according to that new law. On 20^th July 2009, the Ambassador of United States of America in the R. Macedonia, Mr. Philip T. Reeker, stated: “A year ago, I described the law on religious organizations in Macedonia as a model for the region when I spoke in front of the United States Senate. We have over the past year made our concerns clear on the lack of implementation of that law at the highest levels of government.” (http://macedonia.usembassy.gov/bektashi_community.html) In addition, the US Mission to the OSCE reports that: “In Macedonia, the law favors the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community of Macedonia, and discriminates against other religious groups... In Macedonia, the lack of effective implementation of the registration provisions of the 2007 Law on the Legal Status of Churches, Religious Communities and Groups helps to further an atmosphere of apparent discrimination against the non-establishment religious organizations.“ (http://osce.usmission.gov/media/pdfs/statements-at-hdim/hdim09_session02.pdf) Despite the new law has declaratively been adopted, in practice, in R. Macedonia today there are more religious communities that have been rejected registration, than ones that have been registered, by which the state is protecting the monopoly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Many international institutions and organizations have also spoken out against this persecution. Following are only a few examples:

US Department of State constantly includes in its “Religious Freedom Report” and “Human Rights Report” information regarding the restrictions of the religious freedoms of the members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, the existence of religious prisoners, the violation of freedom of movement, the police terror and demolition of a monastery, the prevention of OSCE from obtaining a copy of the decision upon which the demolition was carried out, the police interrogations of the members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric etc. (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108458.htm, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90187.htm, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71394.htm, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51567.htm, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35470.htm etc.)

US Mission to the OSCE warned of “Violation of freedom of religion” and “encouraged the authorities to apply the law fairly”, advising “the government should avoid involving in religious disputes”, reminding that “Article Nine of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 19 of the Macedonian Constitution as well as Macedonia’s OSCE commitments, and international norms, all guarantee his right to freedom of religion.” (http://osce.usmission.gov/media/pdfs/2004-statements/fyrom_2-5-04.pdf).

Amnesty International declared the Archbishop Jovan “a prisoner of conscience”. (http://amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR05/001/2006/en/28018728-d44a-11dd-8743-d305bea2b2c7/eur050012006en.html)

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights constantly reports about the violation of the religious freedoms and human rights of the members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, among other issues, pointing out that the imprisonment of the Archbishop Jovan is “The most high profile of religious freedom violation” (http://mhc.org.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=577B948E52C7B648A9F4398C90B0A71C&arc=1, http://mhc.org.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=D269C890ADF91F4D8B26B40C32163802&arc=1 etc.)

The European Commission pointed out that “cases of violations of religious freedom exist” and emphasized that “the new law should provide more liberal procedure for registering religious communities” in its report. (http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2006/nov/fyrom_sec_1387_en.pdf)

Forum 18 reports that “Official discrimination continues”, “New Religion Law perpetuates discrimination” etc. (http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1335, http://forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1107 etc.)

Highly esteemed,

This is only a part of the persecution that the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric faces in the past eight years.

This information for continuation of the limitations of our rights is at the same time an appeal to all the persons being in position to assist the implementation of the Democratic laws and values regarding the respect of religious freedom for all the citizens in the Republic of Macedonia, without any ethnic or religious prejudice, as one of the basic conditions for integration in the Euro-Atlantic civilization trends.

With respect,

Bishop
† David of Stobi and Administrator of Strumica