MP: UOC will appeal to international courts and win them

Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Artem Dmytruk. Photo: screenshot from a video on Artem Dmytruk's Facebook page

In an interview with the UOJ, Ukrainian MP Artem Dmytruk stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would file claims in Ukrainian and international courts to protect its sanctuaries and millions of the Church's faithful.

The politician noted that regional officials are violating all legal and judicial norms when they "take over" UOC churches, terminate agreements with the Church, and ban its activities.

Dmytruk believes that the UOC will be compelled to turn to Ukrainian and international courts to overturn all these decisions. According to the MP, the UOC will undoubtedly win cases in international courts, which "will have a very negative impact on the image of the Ukrainian state."

Responding to a question about whether one can trust the fairness of Ukrainian courts in matters related to the UOC, the politician said: "Not now. But in the future – yes."

"Everyone understands perfectly well that in the future, when time has passed, when the war is over, when there is order in the country, when we have won, the UOC will file lawsuits not only with Ukrainian but also with international courts. And this will be a very negative precedent for the Ukrainian state itself, because the UOC will win these cases," said the MP.

As reported by the UOJ, a UOC lawyer has stated that attempts by city councils to deprive the UOC of the right to use land plots for churches are unlawful and do not carry any legal consequences.

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