FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
========================================== ======
4 December 2008
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: "THE LAW IS LIKE RUBBER"
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President Bako Sahakyan of the internationally unrecognised entity of
Nagorno-Karabakh is considering a restrictive new Religion Law, Forum 18
News Service has found. The new Law imposes vaguely formulated
restrictions, including: an apparent ban on unregistered religious
activity; state censorship of religious literature; an undefined "monopoly"
given to the Armenian Apostolic Church over preaching and spreading its
faith, while banning "soul-hunting" and restricting others to undefined
"rallying their own faithful". Garik Grigoryan, head of the parliamentary
Commission on State Legal Issues, claimed to Forum 18 that "it will be a
more liberal, democratic Law." Members of religious communities have
expressed serious concerns to Forum 18. One member of the Armenian
Apostolic Church rhetorically asked Forum 18: "Where’s the freedom?"
Another described the Law as "like rubber," noting that "you can’t see
exactly how it’s going to be put into practice." The Law also does not
resolve the issue of a civilian alternative to compulsory military service.
3 December 2008
SERBIA: VIOLENT ATTACKS CONTINUING, BUT MAINLY DECLINING
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The latest Forum 18 News Service survey of violent attacks against
Serbia’s religious communities – covering September 2007 to October 2008 –
indicates that fewer attacks are taking place compared to previous years.
As previously, most physical attacks have been on Seventh-day Adventist and
Jehovah’s Witnesses properties, and attacks on Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons) properties have risen. As in
earlier years, a number of Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries have
also suffered attacks. Dragan Novakovic, the Deputy Religion Minister, told
Forum 18 that the police and judicial authorities do not provide his
Ministry with adequate information. Novakovic also regretted that attackers
are usually charged with violating public order, instead of – where
appropriate – the more serious charge of inciting or exacerbating national,
racial, or religious hatred – which carries higher penalties than public
order charges. Novakovic told Forum 18 that the Ministry is determined to
reduce attacks. "We will need years to get it down to an acceptable level,
but we are determined to do it."
* See full article below. *
5 December 2008
UZBEKISTAN: STATE STILL STOPS MUSLIMS MAKING HAJ PILGRIMAGE
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Uzbekistan is continuing to restrict the numbers of haj pilgrims to 5,000
people, or one fifth of those who could potentially go, Forum 18 News
Service has found. This seriously limits the number of Muslims who can
perform this obligation of their faith. All pilgrims need approval from
local authorities, the NSS secret police and other national authorities,
and are strictly controlled – including isolation from foreigners – on
pilgrimage. Forum 18 has been told of an unwritten state instruction that
pilgrims must be aged over 45. The head of a regional state Religious
Affairs Committee denied this, illustrating his denial by saying that his
region had sent "a 32 year old man" on pilgrimage. However, he did not
answer when Forum 18 asked why there were very few young people on the
pilgrimage. The state also charges pilgrims many times the minimum monthly
wage to make the haj. An Uzbek human rights defender, Surat Ikramov,
pointed out to Forum 18 that this plus the bribes demanded "makes it
impossible for the majority to go on haj."
3 December 2008
SERBIA: VIOLENT ATTACKS CONTINUING, BUT MAINLY DECLINING
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By Drasko Djenovic, Balkans Correspondent, Forum 18 News Service
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The latest Forum 18 News Service survey of violent attacks on Serbia’s
religious communities and their members – covering September 2007 to
October 2008 – seems to indicate that fewer attacks are now taking place
overall, especially compared to the years up to about 2006. As in previous
years, most physical attacks on religious communities in Serbia in 2008
have been against the Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and
the numbers of attacks on properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons) has risen, Forum 18 has
found. As in previous years, there have also been a number of attacks on
Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries.
Serbia’s desire to join the European Union, along with politicians placing
greater weight on Serbia becoming a more open country, appears to be
influencing popular attitudes, and hence the possibility of attacks. The
current government under Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic is seen as
pro-European and does not see all that is not Serbian or Orthodox as
automatically anti-Serbian. Example of these changes in social attitudes
were seen in media reporting of attacks which took place on the night of 21
February 2008, during rioting which followed a government-organised
demonstration against Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.
Media reports in 2008 have been notably less hostile to religious
minorities, and less prone to describe them as "dangerous sects".
However, many members of Serbian religious minorities have complained to
Forum 18 that they still suffer discrimination from officials, as a result
of hostility in society. No non-Christian religious communities other than
those recognised as traditional – Jews and Muslims – have been registered
under the Religion Law (see eg. F18News 8 January 2008
< e_id=1072>). Complaints are also
made that religion classes in schools give children negative impressions of
members of minority communities. They also complain that in court –
including in child custody cases – religious minority members sometimes
face discrimination.
Many of the attacks and threats against religious minority communities are
by extreme nationalists who think that the communities are in some sense
traitors to the nation. An attack on the Evangelical (Pentecostal) Church
in Kraljevo on 21 February was carried out by a nationalist organisation
Obraz. A hand-written threat to the same church in September was issued by
a group calling itself Black Hand, a reference to an early twentieth
century Serbian secret nationalist society. It is unknown whether the
threat actually comes from an existing secret group, or whether the name is
merely being invoked as part of the threat.
Dragan Novakovic, Serbia’s Deputy Religion Minister, welcomed the apparent
fall in the number of religiously-motivated attacks. "It often depends
which glasses you look through," he told Forum 18 in Belgrade on 26
November. "When someone has a problem they see it through each individual
attack. But when we look generally we can see that the trend is for fewer
and fewer attacks."
However, Novakovic lamented that his Ministry does not have "full insight"
into the attacks, knowing only of those that religious communities inform
it of. "Unfortunately the police don’t inform us of these attacks," he told
Forum 18, "even though it would be useful for analytical purposes. Still
less do the judicial authorities inform us of cases underway – they have no
duty to do so."
Novakovic also regretted that those who attack religious communities are
usually charged with violating public peace and order. He would, where
appropriate, like more serious charges such as instigating or exacerbating
national, racial, and religious hatred to be also brought. Under Article
317 of the Serbian Criminal Code, which specifically covers such
hate-motivated attacks on both persons and property, this can result in
mandatory jail terms of between one and eight years.
Under Article 131 of the Criminal Code, "violating freedom of religion and
the performance of religious services", conviction can result in
imprisonment of up to one year. In the case of convicted officials, a jail
term of up to three years can be imposed for this offence.
In contrast, the penalties for public order charges are minor. These
charges are normally used to punish fights between two people, or playing
loud music in public.
Deputy Religion Minister Novakovic insisted that the Religion Ministry is
determined to see the number of violent attacks on religious communities
reduced. "If this year or next we reduced the level of attacks by three or
five percent, it would be very important and we would be very happy," he
told Forum 18. "We will need years to get it down to an acceptable level,
but we are determined to do it."
The Ministry of Justice has not answered questions on why it does not
supply data to the Religion Ministry, or why serious charges are not
brought against alleged attackers, despite several attempts by Forum 18 to
discuss this with the Justice Ministry.
The largest number of attacks in a short time period took place at a time
of large-scale government-organised demonstrations in Belgrade on 21
February 2008 against Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.
Foreign embassies and businesses were attacked, as were religious minority
communities, including Protestants such as Adventists, as well as Mormons.
This may be because these religious communities have their main
headquarters in the United States.
Forum 18 notes that many of the same places of worship have been attacked
time after time. For example, the Evangelical (Pentecostal) Church in
Kraljevo attacked in February 2008 was attacked with Molotov cocktails in
December 2006. Police found no evidence to enable a criminal case to be
brought after the Molotov cocktail attack. Graffiti was daubed on the same
church in September 2007 (see F18News 9 October 2007
< e_id=1030>).
Although most of the attacks have been relatively low-level, their
frequency has left many members of religious minorities feeling afraid.
Windows on the rented building where an Adventist church in the western
town of Uzice met, and their pastor also lived, were broken three times in
March 2008, and three times in April. Following this, Pastor Danilo
Zelenkapic told Forum 18, Church leaders decided to move him from the town
for his own safety. Church members now have to travel 25 kms (15 miles) to
Zlatibor to attend worship services in a chapel in a church-owned holiday
house.
At the same time, Adventist Pastor Dalibor Trajkovic told Forum 18 from
the central town of Kragujevac that his church has frequently been stoned
or had graffiti daubed on the walls. But he adds that knocking on the
church door or windows during the night and yelling "This is Serbia,
Sabbath-keepers get out" or "Sectarians get out" has also become common. He
said that although they are concerned by such lesser harassment, they no
longer bother to notify the police, reporting only more serious damage. The
church is located on the corner of a street, making it easier to attack.
When members of religious minorities attempt to share their beliefs, this
can spark hostility. In the town of Bor in eastern Serbia, local people in
June 2008 tried to prevent construction of a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall
with a petition and blocking of roads. The organiser of the protest told
the Serbian daily newspaper Blic on 8 June: "We do not have anything
against the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but we do not want them in our
neighbourhood".
However, local people can sometimes intervene in defence of religious
minorities. This happened in March 2008, when neighbours of a Jehovah’s
Witness meeting in Bajna Basta protected those attending a service from
attack by a mob of some 500 people.
Those responsible for attacks are often not identified by the police and
prosecuted, Forum 18 notes (see eg. F18News 7 February 2008
< e_id=1083>). Even when the
attackers are caught, they often – as Deputy Religion Minister Novakovic
lamented – face only minor charges, if any. The charge made is typically
disturbing public order.
Forum 18 knows of only a few cases where prosecutions with the possibility
of the serious penalties provided under Article 317, "instigating or
exacerbating national, racial and religious hatred," have been brought. The
most recent instance has been following the arrest of three people for
daubing graffiti in July 2008 on a Catholic church in Pancevo. It may be
significant that Pancevo is in the northern province of Vojvodina, as
prosecutions for those who attack religious communities are more likely in
Vojvodina. This is the most multi-ethnic and multi-religious part of
Serbia.
As in previous years (see F18News 9 October 2007
< e_id=1030>), religious
communities are sometimes reluctant to report attacks to the police or make
them publicly known.
The information in the survey is unavoidably incomplete, due to continuing
deficiencies in the publicly available data, so no attempt has been made to
statistically compare data over the years. But the information has been
gathered from as wide a range of sources as possible, including religious
communities themselves, human rights groups, official information and the
Serbian media. The list below of incidents between September 2007 and
October 2008 does not include incidents in Kosovo. All incidents where no
source is indicated are incidents known to Forum 18 directly.
ATTACKS FROM SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2007
September – Windows of the Adventist Church in Kragujevac stoned, the
exact date being unclear.
18 September – Windows of the Mormon Church in Novi Sad broken.
2 October – Fence around Mormon Church in Novi Sad burned.
22 October – Adventist church windows in Backa Palanka broken. The
attacker was arrested by police and charged (B92)
28 November – Middle-aged man physically attacked three female Jehovah’s
Witnesses and took their literature in Arandjelovac.
ATTACKS FROM JANUARY – OCTOBER 2008
24 January – Graffiti daubed on Adventist Church in Negotin.
25 January – Graffiti daubed on Adventist Church in Belgrade.
26 January – Two young men in Vranjska Banja attacked three teenage female
Jehovah’s Witnesses and tried to rape them. The attackers were identified
and a prosecution has begun.
17 February – Windows of the Adventist Theological Seminary in Belgrade
broken.
20/21 February – Two windows of the Mormon Church in Belgrade broken at
time of riots against Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.
21 February – Windows on Adventist Church in Nis broken.
21 February – The neo-Nazi organisation Obraz attacked the Evangelical
(Pentecostal) Church in Kraljevo, after the evening church service. Stones
and eggs were thrown at the church and windows broken.
During February, one person broke into and stole icons and liturgy books
from the Serbian Orthodox churches of the Birth of the Most Holy Virgin in
Sremska Kamenica, the Three Holy Hierarchs in Kisac, the St. Sava Church in
Cerevic and the Monastery of the Holy Archangel in Kovilj. He was arrested
in early March (Vecernje Novosti)
8/9, 10/11 and 21/22 March – Windows of a building in Uzice rented by
Adventists as a church and home for their pastor stoned in the early
morning.
22 March – During a Jehovah’s Witness service of the memorial of Christ’s
death (the most important service in the year for this religion), in Bajna
Basta, a crowd of about 500 people from Bajna Basta, as well as from Uzice
and the neighbouring Republika Srpska in Bosnia, stoned a private house
where the service was happening. About 20 people who attended, including
several children, were brought to safety with the help of the neighbours.
Some of attackers were identified, but no one has been prosecuted.
2 April – Two older Jehovah’s Witnesses were attacked in Klenak during
door-to-door service. Literature was taken. Attacker was identified and
prosecution begun.
12/13, 18/19 and 25/26 April – Windows at Adventist church and pastor’s
home in Uzice again stoned in early hours of the morning. As a result of
the attacks, Adventists moved pastor from town, told to Forum 18 pastor
Danilo Zelenkapic.
17 May – Two windows of the Mormon Church in Novi Sad were broken.
5 June – Main door of the Adventist Church in Jagodina broken.
6 June – In the town of Bor in eastern Serbia, local people in June 2008
tried to prevent construction of a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall with a
petition and blocking of roads. The organiser of the protest told the
Serbian daily newspaper Blic on 8 June: "We do not have anything against
the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but we do not want them in our neighbourhood".
7/8 June – Neo-Nazi graffiti and messages about Jehovah’s Witnesses was
daubed on the Kingdom Hall in Sremska Mitrovica.
8/9 June – Five windows of the Mormon Church in Novi Sad broken.
11 June – Four windows, including a stained-glass window, of the Mormon
Church in Novi Sad broken.
11 June – Three unidentified young men attacked a Jehovah’s Witness
Kingdom Hall close to the Auto Komanda Bridge in Belgrade. While the
building was being stoned one stone hit a Jehovah’s Witness man in the
stomach. Police were called.
19 June – Gold items stolen from the Church of the Birth of the Most Holy
Virgin Serbian Orthodox Church in Sremska Kamenica, near Novi Sad. (RTV)
26 June – Entrance doors of the Adventist Church in Jagodina broken down,
and the apartment of pastor broken into. Nothing was stolen.
26/27 June – Threatening graffiti daubed on the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom
Hall in Krusevac.
30 June – Liturgical book stolen from Serbian Orthodox SS. Cosmas and
Damian hospital in Belgrade. Thief arrested several days later.
30 June – Three unidentified young men entered a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom
Hall in Vranje in early hours and started to attack the facade with stones
and crowbars. They escaped from police. The police thoroughly investigated
the attack, but without success.
3/4 July – Graffiti reading – "Death to Catholics", "Orthodoxy or death",
"We will avenge Kosovo" – daubed on St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in
Pancevo. (RTV) Three attackers were arrested some days latter, and charged
with spreading racial, religious and national hatred. (Blic) No verdict has
yet been delivered.
17 July – A Serbian Orthodox priest in Despotovac threatened and hit
several Jehovah’s Witnesses. The incident was reported to police, who sent
the case to the public prosecutor.
22/23 July – Items worth about 50,000 Dinars stolen from the Serbian
Orthodox St George the Martyr church in Starcevo, near Pancevo. (Blic)
29/30 July – Serbian Orthodox church in Pancevo robbed of 15,000 Dinars.
(Blic)
31 July/1 August – Unidentified people daubed graffiti with nationalist
symbols and vulgar messages about the Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Kingdom
Hall in Sremska Mitrovica.
6-10 August – Unidentified people again daubed graffiti with national
symbols and vulgar messages about Jehovah’s Witnesses on Kingdom Hall in
Sremska Mitrovica during the night. The graffiti included the names of some
arrested for war crimes trials before the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. The incident may be related to the
arrest by Serbian police of Radovan Karadzic on 20 July.
3 September – Hand-written message "You will burn in Hell" signed by the
"Serbian Nationalist Organisation Black Hand" found in the post box of the
Evangelical (Pentecostal) church in Kraljevo.
9 September – A man armed with gun and 20 metres of cable tried to attack
a Catholic priest in Budisava near Novi Sad. Police prevented the attack
and arrested the attacker. (RTV)
16 September – A group of masked young men attacked the Jehovah’s Witness
Kingdom Hall in Leskovac with stones and staves in the early morning. One
attacker tried to break the window between protective bars while another
prepared a Molotov cocktail. The attackers escaped after police were
called. The police did not appear to seriously investigate the attack.
19/20 September – Graffiti – "Sectarians get out of Serbia" – daubed on
the Adventist Church in Sivac.
22/23 September – Graffiti – "Sectarians get out of Serbia" and "Orthodoxy
is Salvation – 1389" – daubed on the Adventist Church in Kragujevac.
27 September – Windows broken and graffiti daubed on the Adventist Church
in Kula.
29 September – Pastor’s car damaged at Adventist church car park in Novi
Sad.
3/4 October – Windows of the Adventist church and pastor’s home in
Kragujevac stoned.
18 October – Several graves and monuments destroyed at a Catholic
graveyard in Bela Crkva, an ethnic majority German village called
Weisskirchen until the late 1940s, in Vojvodina. Police are hunting for six
attackers (Dnevnik, Novi Sad)
18/19 October – Four windows of the Mormon church in Novi Sad broken.
26/27 October – Windows of a Mormon Church garage in Belgrade broken.
(END)
For more background, see Forum 18’s Serbia religious freedom survey at
< id=387> and coverage of freedom
of thought, conscience and belief in Serbia at
< mp;religion=all&country=53&results=50>.
The previous survey of attacks on religious minorities, from September
2006 to September 2007, is at
< id=1030>.
A personal commentary, by an Austrian lawyer, arguing that Serbia should
not follow Austria’s system of dividing religious communities into
different categories with differing legal rights is at
< id=403>.
A survey of the religious freedom decline in the eastern part of the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) area is at
< id=806>.
A printer-friendly map of Serbia is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=europe&Rootmap=yugos l>,
under the title ‘Serbia and Montenegro’.
(END)
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