E/CN.4/1993/62
page 86
According to other allegations, Mr. Vasile Belea, a representative of the
Uniate Church in the town of Spermezeu, Department of Bistritza-Näsäud,
applied to the local Police Chief, Mr. Ioan Hrusan, on 20 October 1991, for
permission to reopen a former church belonging to the Uniate community so that
religious services might be celebrated in it once again. In reply to this
request, the Police Chief, who happens to be the brother of the priest of the
Orthodox Church in the same town, allegedly beat Mr. Belea up and threw him
out of the police station.
According to the information received, this is not an isolated incident.
Some persons were allegedly incited by priests of the Orthodox Church to
commit many attacks in the territory of Transylvania, always against members
of the Uniate Church. One of these violent incidents reportedly took place in
the village of Visuia, where Father Zagreanu was requested to celebrate mass
in honour of St. Dimitri on 26 October 1991. He is said to have informed the
local police that he intended to celebrate the mass at the Ariesan family farm
in the same village so that the police would guarantee that the ceremony was
held peacefully. When he was on his way to the farm, 12 persons who were
drunk burst out of the Orthodox Church and beat him violently on the head and
jaw and threw him back and forth until he fell on the ground. They went on
kicking him in the stomach and kidneys. Women on their way to the mass were
allegedly also attacked.
In the village of Margäu, district of Cluj, Father Ioan Bota was
allegedly attacked in his church when he was celebrating mass on
6 January 1992. He had to leave the church by the door behind the altar
because his attackers were waiting for him in front of the main door.
On 8 January 1992, the police in the village of Filea were allegedly
requested to keep watch on Mrs. Silvia Tartan’s home, where
Father Pius Miclaus was celebrating mass. A gang of attackers with shovels
and pitchforks allegedly threatened him until after midnight and the woman
guarding the door of the house was injured when the blade of a knife went
through the door. The mayor of Ciurila, which Filea is part of, went to the
house with the wife of the Orthodox priest and was allegedly threatened and
prevented from taking any action.
The Uniate chapel in Mrs. Eugenia Darjan’s house in the village of Iclod
was allegedly desecrated on 12 January 1992 by four persons whom the owner
recognized. Icons were taken, religious books were thrown on the floor and
the table that was used as an altar was desecrated. A complaint was filed
with the local police. The police force did not intervene in any of the
above-mentioned cases."
Saudi Arabia
51.
In a communication sent on 18 September 1992 addressed to the Government
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the following was transmitted by the Special
Rapporteur:
"According to the information received, members of the Shia Muslim
community in Saudi Arabia are reportedly deprived of the right to express
their religious beliefs in public and are subjected to frequent attacks by