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Area, the Law on the Stay and Movement of Foreigners and the Law on Religious
Communities and Religious Groups. The Law on Crossing the State Border and
Movement in the Border Area stipulates that the border may be crossed with a valid
passport and the previous establishment of t h e identity of the person that crosses the
border. A foreigner may not be allowed to enter the Republic of Macedonia in cases
stated in the Law, or on the basis of international or reciprocal agreements.
255. Furthermore, in accordance with article 69 of the Law on the Stay and
Movement of Foreigners, a foreigner may wear a uniform during his/her stay in the
Republic of Macedonia if he or she is a member of a diplomatic or consular mission
o f a foreign State, or a member of a foreign military mission or other delegation.
256. In addition to provisions contained in the above-mentioned laws, in cases
where priests come upon the invitation of a religious community of the Republic of
Macedonia, the police border organs require consent by the Commission for
Relations with Religious Communities and Groups of the Government of the
Republic of Macedonia. This is in accordance with article 5 of the Law on Religious
Communities and Religious Groups, which provides that religious activities and
ceremonies in the Republic of Macedonia, upon a request of the religious community
or a religious group, may be performed by foreign nationals with the previous
approval of the organ in charge of issues related to religious communities or religious
groups. The violation of this provision is sanctioned by article 29 of this Law, which
provides that a fine of 30,000-50,000 dinars shall be imposed on foreign nationals
who perform religious ceremonious or religious instruction in a religious school
without previous approval.
257. The Government finally indicated that, under the Law on the Stay and
Movement of Foreigners, in particular article 2, paragraph l, foreigners staying in the
Republic of Macedonia are obliged to respect the Constitution of the Republic of
Macedonia, the laws and other regulations and decisions of State organs, as well as to
act in accordance with Macedonia’s obligations under international treaties, which
give the State grounds for undertaking measures against the foreign national, i.e. to
interrupt the stay and prescribe the security measure of prohibition of entry in the
Republic of Macedonia for a certain period of time (art. 30).
Turkey
Follow-up to previously transmitted communication
258. By letter dated 22 January 2004, the Government of Turkey responded to a
communication sent by the Special Rapporteur on 13 October 2003 concerning the
case of the Keçiören Gospel Church.
The Government first indicated to the Special Rapporteur that the church in question
was located at an address different from the one given in the letter of the Special
Rapporteur. The Government then stressed that, after the acts against the church, a
public lawsuit was filed with the Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No. 4 against
Tuncay Ergön, on the grounds of “attempting to use a knife in a brawl, aggressive
drunkenness, and attempting to set fire to a building”. The first hearing of the case