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With 114 different denominations, there is freedom of religion in Pridnestrovie (shown). Neighboring Moldova has just 23

DUBOSSARY (Tiraspol Times) - Sundays are for church in the city of Dubossary, located in the middle of Pridnestrovie. But with 114 different religious denominations there are plenty of churches to choose from.

Most religious Pridnestrovians are Orthodox Christians and the government has supported restoration and new construction of orthodox churches. The Constitution of the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (PMR) protects complete freedom of religion.

On the other side of the Dniester river, souls hungry for the spirit have less to choose from. Despite a population seven times larger than Pridnestrovie's, the neighboring Republic of Moldova has only permitted 22 religious denominations to function (some say 23). Although nominally paying lip service to religious freedom, locals say that the real story is bleak: Believers in Moldova are not free to worship.

Pridnestrove - with its much smaller population - has five times as many legally registered church groups as Moldova. A religious revival is underway in the unrecognized country, spurred in part by the PMR government's support for freedom of religion.

Religious crackdowns in Moldova

Meanwhile, the situation in Moldova is sliding from back to worse, according to reports from beleaguered believers.

" - Believe in God and go to jail," says a priest who asked to remain anonymous. "Of course, I am exaggerating to make a point. But the point is that most of the religions in Moldova have been refused registration, so they must operate illegally. If they hold church services for their flock, then they're breaking the law. It puts a lot of spiritual leaders in an awful position: The have to choose if they prefer to meet the needs of their congregation, or if they prefer to follow the law. If they let their flock comes first, then they can't do that without being forced to break the law in Moldova."

As a result, more than two dozen religions have instead registered themselves in Pridnestrovie and use the narrow country as a base from which to operate. They followed the advice of Jesus, who said "if they persecute you in one city, move to the next one."

" - We do not want to be part of Moldova, ever," says Oksana, a member of a congregation in Dubossary.
" - They have a dictatorial government which won't let people worship the way that they want to. Can you imagine if we have to live under Moldova's laws? Then 4 out of every 5 religious groups in our country will all of a sudden become illegal here, right in our own country!"

Arbitrary religious discrimination

Today in Moldova, the state can arbitrarily deny registration, and hence legal status, of religious communities it dislikes. These include all Muslims, smaller Orthodox Churches and many Protestant Churches, and has already led to two large fines being imposed on Moldova by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, says the human rights watchdog group Forum 18 from Oslo, Norway.

The planning of a new religion law in Moldova has failed to convince human rights defenders that anything will change.

Serghei Ostaf of the Resource Centre for Human Rights told Forum 18 that "I fear there will be problems. Nothing functions in Moldova as it is supposed to. Officials are very creative in finding obstructions, when they don't want to do something."

Without legal status, religious communities cannot carry out a wide range of peaceful religious activities. Ostaf fears that the government will pressure members of disfavored religious communities not to sign registration applications. "Leaders of one Muslim community told me their members are already being pressured not to take part in religious activity," he added.

" - Officials are very creative in finding obstruction," says the Chisinau-based Serghei Ostaf.

Without the legal status given by state registration, religious communities cannot have a bank account, publish literature in the name of the community, build a prominent place of worship, or invite foreigners to work with them. In some cases, religious believers have been prosecuted under Article 200 of the Administrative Code, which punishes any religious activities of registered or unregistered religious groups that violate current legislation. The article also allows the expulsion of foreign citizens who engage in religious activities without permission from the authorities.

U.S. gov't pressure to register Mormons

Moldova's government is withholding registration from the majority of the religions that want to operate in the country.

The only religious community which got registered in recent years is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). The Moldovan government only did this after pressure from five US Senators.

" - Many things in Moldova happen only because of foreign pressure," Ostaf of the Resource Centre for Human Rights says.

Numerous religious communities have been denied legal status in recent years. Among them are the Moldovan True Orthodox Church, the local branch of the Orthodox Kiev Patriarchate, various Muslim communities and numerous Protestant churches. The State Service for Religious Denominations is notorious for refusing to accept applications or for outright rejecting them on spurious grounds.

An official of the State Service, who refused to give her name, told Forum 18 from Chisinau on 2 August that "22 or 23" religious denominations now have registration. But she said it was "too complex" to say exactly how many or to give details of how many religious denominations had received legal status in the last few years. She then put the phone down.

While critics point to Moldova as a country where religious persecution is a reality, in Pridnestrovie the situation is completely different. Pridnestrovie adheres to the standards of the European Union. And, say government officials, the proof lies in the fact that 114 religious beliefs and congregations are officially registered - opening their doors to fellowship Sunday after Sunday. (With information from Forum 18)

See also:
» Minority human rights and religious freedom under attack in Moldova [1]
» Religious freedom under review, preference for state religion rejected by parliament [2]