Amsterdam to tell US Congress about the results of his trip to Ukraine
Robert Amsterdam. Photo: screenshot of "Channel 5"
An American lawyer of the UOC, Robert Amsterdam, has commented on social network X on the results of his visit to Ukraine.
He said he was recording a quick video because "a document circulating around Washington from the Law and Liberty Trust, which is legally completely meaningless, attempts to somehow defend the hate speech contained in Bill 8371, by which Ukraine is trying to pass to ban the UOC."
"Ukraine has very little in the way of religious freedom. I met with many priests and leaders of the UOC, and each of them was interrogated by the secret police, the SBU, which has as its mission to destroy the Church. One of them was interrogated so aggressively that he had a heart attack the same day," the lawyer said, apparently referring to Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy.
He also spoke about meetings with MPs "who are so frustrated at their lack of freedom that they say their lives are hell. They too were interrogated by the SBU”.
Amsterdam intends to inform members of the US Congress about what he heard in Ukraine to urge them to contact the Rada Speaker Stefanchuk to refer Bill 8371 to the Venice Commission for examination.
The lawyer said Ukrainians need help because their government practices "blind loyalty and dropping their own treasured freedoms, such as media and religion” and “silencing opponents".
"We need to tell them to stop persecuting the UOC. Stop the religious cleansing and, for God's sake, control of the secret police, which reminds me more of Stalin’s Russia than any form of democracy and democratic conduct known to man," Amsterdam concluded.
As earlier reported, the repression against the UOC reminds Robert Amsterdam of the Soviet times.
Read also
OCU cleric responds to Hryshchuk's provocations at funerals for AFU soldiers
Sofroniy Chuprina refuted claims about the necessity of opening the Royal Doors during funeral services.
Kosmach residents accuse OCU monks of supporting "Russian world" ideas
Parishioners of the OCU stated that the monastery residents near the village of Kosmach use pro-Russian rhetoric, preventing them from switching to the "new calendar".
Medieval church in England safeguarded with National Lottery funds
The preservation of a 13th-century church in Leicestershire was made possible thanks to money from British National Lottery draws.
Lavra Reserve marks centenary of Bolshevik seizure of the monastery
Reconstructions of museum exhibits from the “museum town,” which the Bolsheviks proclaimed within the monastery walls, were staged by the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve.
Sweden stops state support for Islamic organizations in country
The Swedish government has officially stopped all taxpayer-funded grants to the aid organization Islamic Relief Sweden (IRS) after an investigation revealed risks of connections to extremism.
Head of Montenegro’s schismatics meet with Phanar representative in Rome
A Finnish archbishop under the Phanar’s jurisdiction held a meeting with a representative of an uncanonical church structure from Montenegro.