The conflict over an Orthodox church continues in the village of Dereneu in the Kalarashi region of Moldova. Diana Karaman, a deputy from the opposition Communist Party, told RIA Novosti that the actions of the authorities represent pressure on the church.
Earlier, Moldovan police detained six people, including the head of the village, the rector's lawyer and several parishioners. The incident occurred after about 150 believers, led by priests of the Moldovan Archdiocese, broke through the police cordon and entered the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin. The dispute over the ownership of the church is between the Moldovan Metropolia (part of the Russian Orthodox Church) and the Bessarabian Metropolia (part of the Romanian Orthodox Church).
"What is happening in Dereneu is conscious pressure on the church and on people. The state has no right to put the church under police control. If the security forces are standing at the altar today, tomorrow they will be standing at the door of anyone who dares to disagree. With such methods, the government loses the moral right to talk about democracy and freedom," said Diana Karaman.
According to the deputy, the temple has been in a police cordon for several days, and believers are not allowed inside. She demands the immediate release of all detainees, clarification of the legal grounds for the cordon of the temple and the use of special forces, as well as the personal responsibility of the officials who made this decision.
The conflict arose due to the decision of the Supreme Judicial Chamber to transfer the church, historically belonging to the Moldavian Metropolis, to the community of the Bessarabian metropolis. Local residents say they will be on duty at the church until the temple ceases to be an object of pressure.