Doc. 10712_2^nd edition

21 October 2005

A case of violation of human rights and religious freedom in "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"

Written Declaration No 371

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it

On 17 September 2005 the Supreme Court of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" rejected the appeal of Mr. Jovan Vraniškovski, citizen of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", whereby all domestic legal remedies were exhausted for redressing the judgment which convicted him for inciting national, racial and religious hatred and sentenced him to 18 months’ imprisonment.

He has been incarcerated since July for practising his religion. He was punished for altering his affiliation from the church recognized by "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to the one that it does not recognize, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC). By this act, the Council of Europe (CoE) principles and Articles 9, 14 and 15 of the European Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, have been brutally violated, as well as the relevant UN documents and the Constitution of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

Mr. Vraniskovski was indicted for:

-       accepting the position of the SOC representative in "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia";

-       taking part in SOC religious rituals in Belgrade;

-       performing religious ritual in his Skopje apartment,

after leaving the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the position of its archbishop.

We, the undersigned, members of the Assembly, urge the authorities of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to comply with the commitments undertaken upon accession to the CoE and to cease the pressure on Jovan Vraniškovski. Otherwise, we еxpect the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to address this case through its bodies.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed: ¹

JOVAŠEVIĆ, Ljubiša, Serbia and Montenegro, EPP/CD

ALEVRAS, Athanasios, Greece, SOC

BINDIG, Rudolf, Germany, SOC

BOJOVIĆ, Božidar, Serbia and Montenegro, EPP/CD

CHRISTODOULIDES, Doros, Cyprus, UEL

DEES, Dirk, Netherlands, ALDE

DRAGASSAKIS, Ioannis, Greece, UEL

GABURRO, Giuseppe, Italy, EPP/CD

GROSS, Andreas, Switzerland, SOC

KANELLI, Liana, Greece, UEL

LLOYD, Tony, United Kingdom, SOC

LOZANČIĆ, Ivo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EDG

MEIMARAKIS, Evagelos, Greece, EPP/CD

MILIĆEVIĆ, Ljiljana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD

MILOJEVIĆ, Goran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD

MULAS, Giuseppe, Italy, EDG

NIKOLIĆ, Tomislav, Serbia and Montenegro, NR

PAPADIMITRIOU, Elsa, Greece, EPP/CD

PERICLEOUS PAPADOPOULOS, Antigoni, Cyprus, ALDE

PIROZHNIKOVA, Liudmila, Russia, EDG

POURGOURIDES, Christos, Cyprus, EPP/CD

PRENTICE, Gordon, United Kingdom, SOC

RUŽIĆ, Branko, Serbia and Montenegro, SOC

ŠAMI, Zoran, Serbia and Montenegro, EPP/CD

TOROSYAN, Tigran, Armenia, EDG

van WINSEN, Bart, Netherlands, EPP/CD

ŽIŽIĆ, Zoran, Serbia and Montenegro, SOC

TODOROVIĆ, Dragan, Serbia and Montenegro, NR

__________________________

Total = 28

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group