Human rights activists discuss violations of UOC believers’ rights at UN

Head of Public Advocacy Oleg Denisov. Photo: screenshot from the Public Advocacy YouTube channel

At the 16th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, representatives of the human rights organization with consultative status at the UN ECOSOC, Public Advocacy, discussed the issue of violations of the rights of believers and clergy of the UOC with officials of the UN whose mandates include addressing issues of violations of the rights of ethnic, national, and religious communities, according to the Protiktor website.

It is reported that the President of the UN Human Rights Council H.E. Václav Bálek, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Mr. Nicolas Levrat, representatives of international organizations, and the human rights community took part in the forum's work.

Human rights activists discussed the prospects of filing individual complaints regarding violations of the rights of UOC believers in special international procedures.

Oleg Denisov, the head of the NGO Public Advocacy, commenting on the work during the forum, stated: "We strive to attract maximum attention from the international community to issues such as the law banning the UOC, the law on renaming, the adoption by local authorities of mass decisions on the expropriation of land from UOC organizations, criminal proceedings opened against UOC believers."

According to him, special emphasis on discussing violations of the rights of UOC believers was made on the case of violence on November 20, 2023, during the seizure of the buildings of the Nativity of the Virgin Convent in Cherkasy.

"Believers were again beaten, presumably by representatives of law enforcement agencies. Work is currently underway to document evidence of legal violations, and as soon as this evidence is sufficient for international work, we will provide both the submission of legal documents to international human rights protection procedures and the corresponding media coverage of this case," Denisov said.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Denisov, the expertise of the Venice Commission on the law on the UOC will not be in favor of the authorities.

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