A/HRC/19/60/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief undertook a visit to the Republic of Moldova, including the Transnistrian region thereof, from 1 to 8 September 2011. The purpose of the visit was to identify good practices and existing or emerging obstacles to the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief in the country, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/37 and 14/11. 2. The Special Rapporteur would like to express his gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Moldova for having invited him, as part of its standing invitation extended to all thematic special procedures of the Human Rights Council. 3. The Special Rapporteur met with several representatives of the Government, including the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, the Minister for Defence, the Minister for Education, the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Deputy Minister for Justice and the Deputy Minister for Labour, Social Protection and Family, as well as with officials from the ministries of Culture, Foreign Affairs and Justice. He also held talks with representatives of Parliament and the judiciary, including the President of the Superior Council of Magistracy, the President of the Constitutional Court and representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Parliamentary Advocates/Centre for Human Rights, the chairperson of the Audiovisual Coordination Council and local authorities in Chisinau. 4. In addition, meetings with civil society included a broad range of non-governmental organizations specialized in human rights, media representatives and members of various religious or belief communities. The Special Rapporteur met with members of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, the Bessarabian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, various Protestant denominations (including Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals and Adventists), several Jewish communities, several Muslim communities, Baha’is, Falun Dafa, Unification Church and others. The discussions were held in Chisinau, Balti, Orhei and Tiraspol, as well as elsewhere in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. He also met with the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes present in the country. 5. The Special Rapporteur noted the generally open atmosphere and appreciated the opportunity of having lively exchanges. Listening to the information, expertise and experience provided by the various interlocutors was an enormous learning experience and he is grateful for their precious input. He is also grateful for the excellent professional support provided by the United Nations country team in the Republic of Moldova, in particular its Human Rights Adviser. 6. The delegation also visited the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and met with the “Minister for Justice” and various representatives of religious or belief communities. In 1991, the Transnistrian region unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Moldova; this region has not, however, been recognized as an independent State by the United Nations. The Special Rapporteur nonetheless notes that the region is outside the de facto control of the Republic of Moldova. Since the Special Rapporteur spent only 24 hours in the region, his assessment of the situation therefore is less complete. References to the findings concerning the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova have been included in relevant sections of the present report. Nothing in the present report should in any way imply the expression of any opinion concerning the legal status of any territory, city or area, or of its authorities. 4