August 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy remains concerned that a draft religion law in Moldova will serve only to restrict overall religious freedom and religious pluralism while offering special privileges and protections of the predominant faith.

According to the amendments, "the state recognizes special significance and primary role of the Orthodox Christian religion and the Orthodox Church in life, history and culture of the people of Moldova."

President Vladimir Voronin refused to sign the first draft of the law passed by Parliament in June, returning it to the MPs for further revision. The President's Office states that he did not like that the law failed to mention "Orthodoxy as the traditional religion of the people of Moldova." Furthermore, he claimed that the draft – which was far more closely aligned with international, European, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe standards than the present one – established a "too easy registration procedure for other faith groups."

"‘Other' faith groups have every right under international standards to have as equal access to registration as does the predominant faith in a country," commented Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski. "As a matter of fact, in an April 2007 decision, the European Court of Human Rights reiterated the rights of religious communities to organize without undue State interference. Article 72 states: ‘Indeed, the autonomous existence of religious communities is indispensable for pluralism in a democratic society and is thus an issue at the very heart of the protection which Article 9 affords. The State's duty of neutrality and impartiality, as defined in the Court's case-law, is incompatible with any power on the State's part to assess the legitimacy of religious beliefs (see Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia, cited above, §§ 118 and 123, and Hasan and Chaush v. Bulgaria [GC], no. 30985/96, § 62, ECHR 2000-XI)."

"If President Voronin chooses to proceed with the legislation and its current amendments," Mr. Grieboski stated, "I can guarantee he will find a similar decision coming down against Moldova as it did Russia."

Institute on Religion and Public Policy