Annual Report
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CENTRE FOR MONITORING THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN EUROPE ANNUAL REPORT “Violations of the Rights of Orthodox Christians in Europe in 2017” Contents Introduction................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 1: Defamation of Orthodox Churches and believers..................................... 5 Chapter 2: Humiliation, hate speech, inhuman treatment and murders of Orthodox Christians................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 3: Discrimination of Orthodox Christians and violation of their freedom of expression by a State............................................................................................... 25 Chapter 4: Infringement of Orthodox Christians’ right to freedom of assembly including acts of vandalism against Orthodox Worship and Sacred Places........................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusions................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix A: Reaction of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania to defamation................................................................................................................... 81 Appendix B: Reaction of the Local Orthodox Churches to the infringement of Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s freedoms and rights in Ukraine.............................. 81 Appendix C: Photos..................................................................................................... 90 Impressum: CENTRE FOR MONITORING THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN EUROPE 106, rue du général Conrad 67000 Strasbourg FRANCE www.orthodoxrights.org Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. 3 Introduction. Chapter 1 : Defamation of Orthodox Churches and believers. Throughout his several missionary journeys, he Albania founded more than 1,000 educational institutions and halted the Islamization of Albania and Northern Anti-Orthodox book in Albania Greece. calls saints and clergy “Demons in Albanian nationalists believe the activities of St. The Centre for Monitoring the Rights and Freedom of Orthodox Christians in Europe Cassocks” Kosmas prevent the creation of a “Greater Albania” (CRFO) was established in 2014 in order to monitor violations of the rights and freedoms and have often launched attacks against the of Orthodox Christians in Europe. It is supported by the Representation of the Russian November 27, 2017 - Orthodox Christians in Orthodox saint. Orthodox Church to the Council of Europe. This work is the Centre’s annual report for Albania were shocked and insulted by a presentation Sources: that took place during a recent book fair in the http://orthochristian.com/108662.html the year 2017. capital city of Tirana. The book that was unveiled, The geographical scope of the monitoring aimed at 47 member states of the Council Demons in Cassocks, depicts Albania’s most http://agionoros.ru/docs/2780.htm of Europe. It entails registering violations of freedoms of conscience, expression, beloved saint Kosmas of Aetolia, as well as the assembly and other liberties and rights. Reoccurring infringements include defamation, current primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church humiliation, hate speech, discrimination, intolerance, hostility against Orthodox priests Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Russia and believers, and Church property. The Centre observes only violations, direct or Albania, reports AgionOros. The Greek TV station ANT1 reports that the book is indirect, that are aimed against the Orthodox Christians because of their faith. The diocese of Orel is asking to find specifically aimed against the Orthodox Church and the author of the defamatory false The Centre’s guiding principle is to ensure that all incidents are presented as objectively the Greeks living in Albania. and thoroughly as possible. The report is prepared based on open sources accessible The author of Demons in Cassocks Sejdi Kondi claim about the Jeep of the bishop is widely known for his nationalist views. He has online with references and links. The preference, as a rule, is given to primary sources, May 30, 2017 – The diocese of Orel is asking the law repeatedly called for the expulsion of Orthodox such as websites of local Orthodox Churches, dioceses, parishes, and Church-linked enforcement agencies to settle the problem about a media. Greeks from Albania. Orthodox Christians and Greeks are no strangers claim from the Bishop of Livensk and Maloarchanel Specific omissions or inclusions should not be viewed as a sign that a particular issue to persecution in Albania. Two churches and four Nektariy about his automobile. is of greater or lesser value to the Centre. Rather, this reflects that a lot of information houses were attacked by night in the Greek mountain “We believe that the law enforcement agencies will on the violations of the Orthodox Christians in Europe is not accessible in English. village of Xirovalto in the Pogoni municaplity, near be able to locate the author of the ‘letter’, which Therefore, we welcome any contribution that can be sent to the Centre of Monitoring the Greek-Albanian border, 195 miles southwest was supposedly written from an Archpriest in the about the violations of the rights of Orthodox Christians in 2017 in Europe and which of Thessaloniki, and other villages, in February. diocese, from an anonymous email”, states the can complete the present report. Most recently, the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Informational department of the diocese. the Ministry of Culture announced that visitors to The collected incidents are distributed among four chapters. Each chapter is devoted The “Orel News” has previously claimed that Bishop several Orthodox churches and monasteries must Nektariy has an expensive Jeep, and that afterwards, to violation of a distinct Orthodox Christians’ freedom or right that is insured by the now pay for entrance. The new rule applies only to he supposedly published a letter, accusing journalists Orthodox churches. European Convention on Human Rights and other international legal instruments. of spreading lies, and threatening to involve the law In an interview with Greek journalists, Abp. enforcement agencies. Anatasios described the publication of the The head of the informational department of the controversial book as an attempt “to destroy the harmonious existence of various religions,” and diocese, Evgeny Borisov, has told that the document stressed that the attack on Orthodoxy “goes beyond is a fake, and that the Bishop’s Jeep was a gift from the bounds of blasphemy against sacred ideals.” an Agronomical holding involved in developing the The publication of the book has caused a wave of region of Orel. Furthermore, it was determined that public outrage in both Greece and Albania. Bishop Nektariy made no statement that the news *** agency of Orel claimed. St. Kosmas of Aetolia (1714-1779) is commemorated Sources: as an Equal-to-the-Apostles and a hieromartyr. http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=67283 4 5 Alexander is a good person and a wise priest!” Sources: deliberately false information about the funeral of Ukraine “Prayerful support we want to give to highly esteemed http://uoj.org.ua/en/novosti/sobytiya/in-drowsy-eye-1-1- a Ukrainian soldier who died in the Donbass War. father Alexander from Lugansk”, writes Natalia Zaika. confuses-denomination-of-the-priest-who-made-a-knife-fight As it became known, the interview with people Bishop of the Volyn diocese of Priest Leonid Korenskoy says that the parish “has been http://news.church.ua/2017/03/16/oprovergnut-ocherednoj- with TSN and “1 + 1” paraphernalia was given the Ukrainian Orthodox Church praying for father Alexander so that God could give fejk-ob-upc-na-kanale-1-1/?lang=ru by Larrisa Sirotinskaya, a resident of the village responds to a defamation attempt him the strength to endure these trials.” of Adamovka and a parishioner of the church of of a Ukrainian MP According to the Union of Orthodox Journalists Ukrainian TV channel defames an the Kiev Patriarchate in the village of Sosnovoye. (UOJ), the Kharkov diocese presented a deep concern Orthodox priest in a knife fight that She reported that, allegedly, the priests of the March 13, 2017 – Sergey Sivak, member of the over the subject matter of the 1+1 channel, which never took place UOC-MP “disrespected the death of a soldier Volyn oblast council, lied about the fact that the accused the UOC cleric Alexander Kanevsky of who died in the Donbass War”. The irony of the March 17, 2017 – “Television news service TSN” of bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the separatist activity and misconduct. claim is that the relatives of the deceased soldier Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) supposedly called the 1 + 1 channel spread another false story about a Sources: themselves turned to the canonical UOC-MP, the Ukrainian flag a “rag”. This was supposedly said http://uoj.org.ua/en/novosti/sobytiya/parishioners-stand-up- drunken fight of “the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox rejecting the Kiev Patriarchate. Seven priests during the ceremony to commemorate victims of the for-uoc-priest-hit-by-provocative-video-of-1-1-channel Church – Moscow Patriarchate) priest” in Dnipro, conducted the funeral service, with the blessing of Lutsk jail massacre. The defamation was countered writes the Information and Education