Assembly of Bishops Condemns Imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM and Asks for His Release

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

December 27, 2011, New York
Upon receiving the information that Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid was arrested on December 12, 2011, while entering the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from the border with Greece, the Hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America reaffirm the position taken by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) in August 2005, and furthermore restate that the persecution and new imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM are an outrage, and ask for his immediate release.
This arrest has a history of several years and began when the schismatic church of FYROM started persecuting the canonical Archbishopric of Ochrid, an autonomous part of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
This imprisonment, as did the previous ones, violates religious freedom in a supposedly free state. That a recognized, canonical Orthodox Christian hierarch can be imprisoned once again under false allegations, and while trying to fulfill his religious responsibilities, is simply absurd.
We join again the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church in demanding the release of Archbishop Jovan. We ask the government of FYROM to correct this injustice and to free Archbishop Jovan without delay.  Furthermore, we call upon our governments to intercede and implement appropriate measures to hasten this process.

Serbian Orthodox Church expressed its protest and condemned the imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan

On its today’s meeting, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church expressed its protest against the imprisonment of His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, and condemned that incomparable violence and persecution conducted under the guise of legal order. At the same time, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, among the other addresses, sent an appeal for an immediate release of Archbishop Jovan also to the Government of FYROM, having in mind that according to the relevant international reports, the political decisions in our country indisputably have an effect on the court decisions. Subsequently, we enclose in its fullness the announcement of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. After years of persecution, harassment, arrests and imprisonments, His Beatitude the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje kyr Dr. John, pan-Orthodoxly renowned and recognized canonical Prelate of the ancient Ohrid Archbishopric, was sentenced on May 11th, to two and a half years in prison under false charges of alleged fraud and embezzlement, the result of a politically motivated and staged pseudotrial of a Stalinist-type, organized upon the blatant request of the schismatic organization calling itself “The Macedonian Orthodox Church”. He was sentenced solely because of His unwavering commitment to the unity of the Church of God; because of his communion with the Serbian Patriarchate and thereby with universal Orthodoxy worldwide; and because of his persistent and confessional fight against the schismatic mentality and anti-Ecclesiastical ethnophiletism. This is a unique case in contemporary Europe – if not in the whole civilized world – of the authorities, by order, to commit an act of cruel violence and an atrocity upon the Orthodox Church and Her lawful senior representatives, most violently breaking both their own laws and international norms and conventions. The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, under whose canonical jurisdiction the autonomous Ohrid Archbishopric is, from its regular assembly in May, protests and condemns this incomparable violence and persecution conducted under the guise of legal order. The Assembly is always with the brothers and sisters from the Ohrid Archbishopric, in prayer and evangelic love, and especially with their Shepherd, who patiently endures suffering for the unity of Christ’s holy Orthodox Church. He is suffering for justice and the authorities are keeping him under a strict-regime prison, despite his serious health condition. At the same time the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church calls: for all sister Orthodox Churches throughout the ecumene; for all other Christian Churches in the world; for the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches and other Christian organizations; for the government of the FYROM; for the for governments and relevant public authorities of legally regulated states, primarily democratic; for the international institutions; and for the institutions and organizations of human rights and religious freedom; to provide spiritual, moral, legal and any other possible support to the prisoner of conscience, the Archbishop John, and to contribute to his release from prison as soon as possible. Belgrade, May 16th, 2012 The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Freedom House: R. FYROM continues the decline

12.05.2013

In the latest Freedom House report on the freedom of the press, R. FYROM, after last year’s drastic fall of 19 places, continues the decline and now marks a fall of additional 5 places in the rankings, which sets it even further away from all other countries in the region, including Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia, with whom it shared the same place until recently, but now is found 24 places below them.

In its reports, as most acute problems Freedom House names, in the following order: the corruption of the judiciary, the lack of freedom of the media and having no religious freedoms.

In the part about the religious freedoms, in all its reports, without exceptions, there is a mention of the problem of, as it is said, the breakaway <<Macedonian>> Orthodox Church with the canonically recognized Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

Like in the other reports of the international community about the situation of the freedoms and human rights in R. FYROM, it is characteristic that the Constitution and the laws ensure the freedoms, but that is not being respected in practice. All this is undoubtedly indicating the religious persecution of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric which is performed exactly through the violation of the guaranteed rights and freedoms of the citizens members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

B I O G R A P H Y OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF OHRID AND METROPOLITAN OF SKOPJE KYR KYR JOHN VI

He was born on 28th of February 1966 in Bitola and baptized as an Orthodox Christian named Zoran. He completed his primary school and mathematical high school in his native town achieving excellent average result. During his education, he was awarded for achievements in the field of science and sports several times. After he served his military obligation in Sarajevo in 1985, he started his studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Skopje. He had finished the aforesaid Faculty before the time expected (in 1990), and enrolled the Faculty of Theology in Belgrade the same year, and he also got employed as a civil engineer with the Diocese of the Metropolis of Bitola. He established the Metropolis Library in collaboration with the local University Library of Bitola, being the first librarian thereof. He had given a cycle of lectures in the premises of the library during his two and a half years long employment with the Metropolis. In 1993, he left for Belgrade aiming to intensify his studies of theology and graduated in June, 1995. He started his master’s studies the same year in Belgrade, at the Department of Systematic Theology (Dogmatics). At the end of 1995, he left for Greece (Thessalonica) for the purpose of learning Greek and enrolment of post graduate studies. Now, he works on his doctoral dissertation, theme being: "The Unity of the Church and the Contemporary Ecclesiological Problems”.

He was ordained to be a monk on 7th of February 1998, being named John and ordained a deacon the same day. He was ordained into the rank of hieromonk on 8th of February 1998, and into the rank of a Bishop on 19th July 1998, being given the title Bishop of Dremvitza. He was assigned to be a vicar of the Bishop of Prespa and Pelagonia, also holding cycles of theological discussions and starting a thorough reconstruction of the Cathedral Church of St. Great Martyr Demetrius in Bitola besides his regular ministries. In March 2000, he was assigned to be Administrator of the Metropolis of Bregalnitza, and elected to be a Bishop of Veles and Vardar Valley in November 2000. He was enthroned at the aforesaid Bishopric on 4th December 2000. He had answered positively at the summon to liturgical and canonical unity with the Patriarchate of Pec by the Patriarch of Serbia Paul, together with all his clergymen and faithful people from his Metropolis, being the only Metropolitan of the schismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church who answered positively. The liturgical and canonical unity with the Patriarchate of Pec of the Holy Metropolis of Veles and Vardar Valley, being under his jurisdiction in that time, was reached on 22nd June 2002. Several days thereafter, he was expelled from the seat of the Metropolis together with the monastics living with him, completely illegally and without a court warrant by means of brutal force by the Police of the Republic of Macedonia. On 23rd of September 2002, he was appointed an Exarch of all the territories of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric by the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He had been detained under custody many times by the authorities of the Republic of Macedonia, which in fact created the schism of the Church during the times of communist rule, supporting the putsch of proclamation of the uncannonical autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. He was elected a Chairman of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric on 25th December 2003, after the constitution thereof. He was sentenced to a suspended punishment one year of imprisonment for the criminal offence «performing unauthorised activities» because he had entered a Church aiming to baptise a female infant in 2004. The Court of Appeal in Bitola sentenced him to eighteen months of imprisonment in 2005 with valid judgement for a criminal offence «incitement of ethnic and religious hatred, discord and intolerance».

He participated in many international symposiums and gave lectures on numerous seminars.

On 24th May 2005, on the Feast of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius, he has been confirmed by his Holiness, the Archbishop of Pec and Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovtzy and Patriarch of Serbia, kyr kyr Paul, to be Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje in accordance with the Nis Agreement. On the same day, there was an announcement of the Patriarchal and the Assembly’s Tomos for Autonomy of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, the Chairman of whose Holy Synod of Bishops is he, himself.

THE PERSECUTION ON RELIGIOUS BASIS IN FYROMACEDONIA-SOUTH SLAVIA – CONTINUES!

Filed under: General — April 23, 2013 @ 1:09 pm

The US State Department published its regular Human Rights Report on FYROMacedonia.

The biggest accent is put on the government’s failure fully to respect the rule of law, primarily reflected in the interference in the judiciary and the media, in the selective prosecution of political opponents of the country’s leaders and significant levels of government corruption. The report stresses the existence of police impunity and the political interference in the judiciary, its favoritism, inefficiency and corruption that slowed the delivery of justice.

As one of the most acute problems, the report does not omit to mention the mistreatment of detainees and prisoners by the police and the prison guards, the poor conditions and overcrowding in the state prisons, as well as the delayed access to legal counsel by detainees and defendants. The report clearly indicates that the country’s prisons and detention centers do not meet international standards, they are in dilapidated condition, and the prisoners are held – as it is stated – in deplorable, dangerous and unhygienic environment, while most of the prisoners are locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day.

The US State Department report also quotes the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture which particularly criticizes the treatment of the prisoners and requests that they are not held in the equivalent of solitary confinement.

We remind that His Beatitude Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, having serious health problems, for one year and five months is being held exactly in such conditions (locked in a cell for 23 hours a day) for which the Council of Europe concludes that they “equal solitary confinement”!

The US State Department report further highlights that the law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, but that is not being respected, and the arbitrary arrest and detention remained an open problem. The report states that although the Constitution and the laws provide for an independent judiciary, the government exercised political pressure and intimidation on the judicial branch. Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid in the last ten years is being imprisoned for the sixth time by the mentioned judiciary, against him series of politically rigged court processes are lead, and the last year a great number of monastics and faithful people of the Archbishopric were spectacularly arrested and detained with handcuffs on their hands. Also, through the rigged court processes, in 2012, the period covered by this US State Department report, the state persecution on religious basis has expanded against other Bishops, priests, monastics and faithful of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

In regard to the freedom of speech, the US State Department again notes that although the Constitution and the laws provide for freedom of speech and press, the government do not always demonstrate respect for this right in practice, and government pressure on the media is a continuing problem!

The consequences of not respecting the human rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of FYROMacedonia, the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric and its Prelate, Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, are suffering for more than one decade. More than one decade in regard to the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric through one-sided informing, with very few exceptions, a systematic campaign of hate speech is being conducted.

The torture on religious basis of the members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, through the continuous politically motivated imprisonments of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, through the court processes against almost all Bishops, against the monastics and the faithful people of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, as well as through the illegal denial of its registration in the FYROMacedonian courts – continues!

The report is available in full on the following location: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/204523.pdf

In addition to this information, we are reminding of the following video material:

Source:US State Dept via poa-info.org

Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid

Autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid
Founder(s)	/
Autocephaly/Autonomydeclared	2005
Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized	2005
Current primate	Jovan VI (Vraniškovski), Archbishop of Ohrid andMetropolitan of Skopje
Headquarters	Skopje, R. Macedonia
Primary territory	R. Macedonia
Possessions abroad	—
Liturgical language(s)	Macedonian,Church Slavonic
Musical tradition	Byzantine Chant, Serbian chant
Calendar	Julian Calendar
Population estimate	N/A
Official website	Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric

The Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid (South-Slavian: Православна Охридска Архиепископија) is anautonomous Orthodox church whose primate is confirmed by the Church of Serbia. It was established in 2002 whenMetropolitan Jovan of Veles and Povardarje, part of the canonically unrecognized ((Macedonian)) Orthodox Church, accepted the Niš agreement.^[1]

On May 24, 2005, during the Feast of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church granted autonomy to the archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Ohrid is in full communion with all other Orthodox churches.

The current Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje is Jovan (Vraniškovski).

HolySynod of bishops

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the autonomous Ohrid Archbishopric with the Patriarch Paul of Serbia, 2004

The Holy Synod of bishops was constituted on December 23, 2003 in the monastery "Saint John Chrysostom". The current members of the Synod are:

• Jovan VI (Vraniškovski), Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitanof Skopje
• Joakim, Bishop of Polog and Kumanovo and locum tenens of Debar and Kicevo
• Marko, Bishop of Bregalnica and locum tenens of Bitola
• David, Vicar Bishop of Stobi and locum tenens of Strumica

Persecution

Short history

Upon entering in the canonical and ecclesiastical unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church, and through that with the whole community of Orthodox Churches, the Archbishop kyr kyr Jovan was illegally and brutally expelled by the police, without a court order, from his residence and cathedra in Veles on July 7, 2002.

In the same manner, illegally and without a court order, the monks of four monasteries, were expelled from their monasteries, i.e. homes, in January 2004, immediately after joining the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

The destruction of the church in the monastery "Saint John Chrysostom"

A fifth monastery, 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, in February 2004. The police refused to investigate the case.

The declaratively secular state legalized its identification with a specific religious community – theSchismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC), through the Parliament’s "Declaration for support of the autocephaly of the MOC" reached on January 23, 2004;

The Church in the "Saint John Chrysostom" monastery was demolished by the state authorities in October 2004.

Archbishop Jovan was sentenced to 18 months of prison in June 2005 for "Instigation of ethnic, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance". The verdict stated the conviction relied on these three points:

1. he wrote a text in a religious calendar in which he slanders the Macedonian Orthodox Church
2. he agreed to be appointed as an Exarch of the Ohrid Archbishopric in Macedonia and participated in the ordination of the bishops Joachim 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 the three points to be unconstitutional and his sentence was shortened to 8 months.

Archbishop Jovan was sentenced for the second time, on charges for "Embezzlement", and as a second defendant was sentenced to a higher prison term of 2 years than the first defendand (who was sentenced 1 year and 3 months) in 2006. He served 256 days before being released.

The chapel "St. Nectarios of Aegina", after being broken into and vandalized on several occasions, was at the end completely demolished in July 2005, before the eyes of the police.

The priest who served at that chapel, Fr. Borjan Vitanov, was beaten up twice. The police refused to investigate the case.

Bishop Marko was beaten up while serving at a public graveyard. The police again refused to investigate the case.

Current situation

The clergy of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is constantly being harassed at the border-crossings by the police.

The clergy of other orthodox churches is not allowed to enter the country.

The state, against the law, denies the official registration of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

Archbishop Jovan has been put on trial for the third time, for a third case of "embezzelment". As his attorney was not able to attend a court hearing, having a greater priority court case at the same time, the Archbishop is sentenced detention.

Reactions of the Orthodox churches

Liturgy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Ohrid Jovan

Ecumenical Patriarchate

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I sent a letter to the Prime Minister of FYROM requesting immediate release of Archbishop Jovan [1][2]

Russian Patriarchate

The Patriarch of Russia Alexei II sent a letter to the President of FYROM demanding immediate release of the Archbishop Jovan [3]

Church of Greece

Holy Synod Of Hierarchs Of The Church of Greece expressed a severe protest for an emergent release of Archbishop Jovan from prison, and for respect of religious freedom in FYROM [4]

Holy Mount Athos

The Holy Community of the Holy Mount Athos sent a letter of support, signed by all Representatives and Abbots who are in the common Assembly of the twenty Holy Monasteries of the Holy Mount Athos [5]

Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

SCOBA Condemned the Imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan by FYROM and asked for his release[6]

Orthodox Church in America

Metropolitan Herman of OCA called for release of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid [7]

Reactions of secular institutions and organizations

US State Department

The 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, existence of religious prisoners, violation of freedom of movement, police terror and demolition of a monastery, prevention of OSCE from obtaining a copy of the decision upon which the demolition was carried out, police interrogations of the members of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric etc. [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]

US Mission to the OSCE

The 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.[13]

Amnesty International

Amnesty International declared the Archbishop Jovan a prisoner of conscience. [14]

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights

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: The violation of several basic rights was the result of activities of a number of state institutions (especially the Ministry of the Interior) directed against not only the followers (monks of the MOC who were supporting Vraniskovski), but also against citizens who approve of him or had compassionate sentiments or attitude towards them. This can be illustrated by the following: problems upon entry and exit from the state, threats, police detention, lawsuits against citizens who have provided housing for the outcast monks, police ban in the exercise of the right to residence [15], [16], [17] etc.

European Commission

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[18]