Chief Lawyer: Blasphemy of "Quarter 95" falls under Criminal Code article

Oleksandr Pikalov and Yevhen Koshevyi from “Quarter 95”. Photo: a screenshot of Chisto News video

On December 15, 2022, during a press conference of the UOC, the head of the Legal Department, Archpriest Oleksandr Bakhov, answered a question about the liability for 'Quarter 95'.

"The preliminary qualification is Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on insulting the feelings of believers. If the case goes to court, it could be either a fine or imprisonment," Father Oleksandr said.

Recall that Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Violation of citizens' equality based on their race, nationality or religious preferences" in Part 1 states: " Willful actions inciting <...> religious enmity and hatred, <...> or the insult of citizens' feelings in respect to their religious convictions <...> shall be punishable by a fine up to 50 tax-free minimum incomes, or correctional labour for a term up to two years, or restraint of liberty for a term up to five years, with or without the deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years".

Part 3 of art. 161 reads: " Any such actions as provided for by paragraph 1 or 2 of this Article if committed by an organized group of persons <...> shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of two to five years.”

As reported, the UOC appealed to the police because of the scandalous performance of “Quarter 95”.

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