Lawyers call on US, UK, EU leaders to intervene in the situation around UOC

Zelensky with world leaders. Photo: Reuters

Volodymyr Zelensky was warned that attempts to ban the UOC "will have dire consequences" for Ukraine's hopes for EU membership, writes the British resource The Telegraph.

International lawyers have addressed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging them to convince Zelensky that outlawing the UOC is unacceptable.

The resource writes that "a vote in the Verkhovna Rada is expected by the middle of January, which would go much further, effectively closing down the Church that has been the main religious body in Ukraine for centuries."

According to journalists, Ukraine visibly demonstrates religious divisions in the country, officially abandoning January 7th as its Christmas Day. "However, many worshippers have chosen to stick to the ancient Julian calendar and the traditional January 7th," the publication emphasizes.

In a letter from lawyer Robert Amsterdam of the firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP to the leaders of the USA, Great Britain, and the European Union, the proposed ban on the UOC is described as "an overly punitive attack that will cause serious harm to Orthodox Ukrainians."

"As a candidate to join the EU, with all the obligations this entails, there is now a very serious question mark over whether Ukraine can meet its commitments to human rights and the rule of law. This will have dire ramifications for Ukraine's entry into the European Union and its place in the Western world," the Telegraph quotes the human rights defender's letter.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Stefanchuk refused to send the UOC law to the Venice Commission for examination.

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