National Police rep says why UOC churches are being searched

Spokesperson for the Zhitomir National Police Headquarters Alla Vashchenko

The spokesperson for the Headquarters of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zhitomir region reported that searches of the UOC temples and the private houses of its clerics are carried out as part of the investigation of the same criminal case initiated under article 161 of the Criminal Code.

“As part of the investigation of the criminal proceedings initiated under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on December 3, members of the Investigation Department of the National Police Headquarters in the Zhitomir region together with officers of the Security Service of Ukraine are conducting 8 authorized searches in Kiev, Zhitomir, Ovruch, and Korosten. Searches are carried out in buildings, rooms and private houses,” “Zhitomir. Info" cites the spokesperson for the Zhitomir Regional Department of the National Police Headquarters Alla Vashchenko.

Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for criminal liability for “Willful actions inciting national, racial or religious enmity and hatred, humiliation of national honor and dignity, or the insult of citizens' feelings in respect to their religious convictions, and also any direct or indirect restriction of rights, or granting direct or indirect privileges to citizens based on race, color of skin, political, religious and other convictions, sex, ethnic and social origin”. This article provides for criminal liability in the form of a fine, correctional labour, or imprisonment.

Vashchenko did not specify against whom in this case a criminal case was initiated under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The SBU in the Zhitomir region officials does not deny that their employees are involved in searches.

The first such search was conducted by the State Security Service at the house of Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, the abbot of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The SBU said that the reason for this was the criminal proceedings initiated “on the fact of a criminal offence, under Part 2 of Art. 161". During the search, the book "Ukrainian Orthodox Church: Relations with the State" was seized from Metropolitan Pavel.

On December 3, 2018, Vadim Novinsky, a people's deputy and head of the Opposition Bloc faction, said during the conciliatory council of the Verkhovna Rada that the Security Service of Ukraine was conducting an interrogation of about 20 priests of the Rovno and Sarny eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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