US State Department publishes data on discrimination against UOC in Ukraine

The U.S. State Department. Photo: Liga.net

The U.S. State Department has published a new report on religious freedom in Ukraine.

Specific instances of pressure by the Ukrainian government on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are listed in the report.

Regarding the seizure of UOC churches, the report states: "The UOC again reported violent threats and attacks on some of its congregations and buildings, accusing the OCU of seizing churches belonging to the UOC. The OCU said that parishioners, rather than the OCU, had initiated the transfers of affiliation within the provisions of the law."

The State Department noted that the UOC continued to assert its independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, although the OCU spokesman, the government, and civil society groups continued to state that the UOC remained subordinate to the ROC.

In the section "Abuses Involving the Ability of Individuals to Engage in Religious Activities Alone or In Community with Others", the report includes facts such as President Zelensky signing legislation imposing sanctions against UOC hierarchs, the use of the acronym "MP" alongside the official abbreviation in media, contrary to the Church's Statute, and the expert panel’s findings described as “unlawful and biased” by the UOC. The findings determined that the UOC remains affiliated with and subordinate to the ROC, despite claims by Church representatives that it has separated from the ROC.

A notable mention in this section is the first reading of Law 8371, which the UOC called discriminatory and in conflict with the Constitution.

The report highlights that "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern that restrictions proposed in the draft law would violate religious freedom and international human rights law. Some religion experts stated that the government already has a sufficient legal framework under existing laws to address security issues related to religion and that there is no need for additional legislation."

The State Department's report also includes information on illegal bans by city councils on UOC activities in their regions. These bans are described as symbolic in the document, and it is noted that the UN has stated that in these cases, city councils exceeded their authority.

The report also covers legal proceedings against UOC representatives, including the case of Metropolitan Jonathan (Yeletskyh) of Tulchyn and Bratslav and violations documented by the UN in investigations and in the case of Metropolitan Joasaph, former head of the UOC Kirovohrad Eparchy, and his secretary, Roman Kondratyuk.

The report mentions that prayers and pilgrimage processions by the OCU and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) proceeded without complications, whereas representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and police obstructed the UOC pilgrimage procession from Kamianets-Podilskyi in the Khmelnytskyi region to the Pochaiv Lavra in the Ternopil region.

The State Department's report documents the eviction of monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and includes quotes from speeches by Volodymyr Zelensky and then-Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko in support of this campaign.

"On March 29, President Zelensky called the beginning of the UOC eviction from the Lavra a step towards ‘strengthening the spiritual independence of our nation and protecting our society from Moscow’s old and cynical manipulations of religion. Ukraine is a territory of the greatest religious freedom in our part of Europe. It has been so since 1991. That will always be so,'" the document states.

The State Department also noted that throughout the year, the government rejected requests from UOC parishes in Chernihiv, Kamianets-Podilskyi and Kremenets to use state historical church buildings.

The report includes statements and decrees by the President of Ukraine indicating abuses related to discrimination or unequal treatment. This section specifically discusses the rescheduling of Christmas and subsequent statements.

As reported by the UOJ, on 12 March 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted mass searches of Ukrainian journalists and human rights defenders. The searches affected employees of the online resources "Union of Orthodox Journalists" and "Kozak 1", the public union "Myriany" and the human rights initiative "Centre for Legal Protection". Four journalists and human rights defenders—Protodeacon Serhiy Chertylin, Andriy Ovcharenko, Valery Stupnitsky and Volodymyr Bobechko—were arrested and placed in a remand prison.

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