Trial of Bishop of Niksic on flimsy charges again postponed

The trial of the Bishop of Niksic, His Grace Ioannicus, and another eight Orthodox priests in Montenegro was again postponed this week.

The nine clergymen were arrested and held for three days in early May by Montenegro authorities on flimsy charges of violating coronavirus-related restrictions against public assembly.

Dozens of people had gathered outside a courthouse in support of the Bishop and the priests.

The Orthodox Church in Montenegro, representing the predominate faith in the small Adriatic country, has faced unprecedented state persecution there over the past year, after hierarchs, clergymen and the faithful stepped up protests against a controversial law that threatens to confiscate the Church’s assets and relics.

In a related development, the Commission, via EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, called on Montenegro authorities to find a correct balance between protecting public health and respecting freedom of religious expression.

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