Court closes the case against Rivne Eparchy secretary for “inciting hatred”

Secretary of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Viktor Zemlianyi. Photo: rivne.church

On October 5, 2023, the court in Rivne closed the case of the Secretary of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Viktor Zemlianyi, who was accused of "stoking interreligious strife" due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. The corresponding decision was published on the Registry of Court Decisions website.

The UOC clergyman was relieved of criminal liability as eight years had passed since the actions he was accused of.

According to reports from Suspilne, the regional prosecutor's office has already filed an appeal against the decision of the Rivne court.

According to the charges, from June to November 2015, Protodeacon Viktor Zemlianyi distributed brochures that "insulted the religious feelings of the UOC-KP (Kyiv Patriarchate) and UAOC (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) believers and contributed to inciting feelings of alienation and distrust among UOC believers and supporters of UOC-KP and UAOC."

Additionally, the investigation alleges that Father Viktor supposedly "offended the beliefs of UOC-KP believers" during the filming of the movies "Persecution" and "Ukraine: 'Mazepa' Operation."

As previously reported by the UOJ, Archpriest Viktor Zemlianyi explained why the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) initiated a criminal case against him.

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