Are you an Orthodox journalist? You have no rights
Valeriy Stupnitsky in court, an illustrative photo. Photo: UOJ
Judge Viktoriya Horbatovska of the Solomiansky Court of Kyiv disrupted the court session concerning the motion of UOJ journalist V. Stupnitsky to change his pre-trial detention conditions (he has been behind bars for 4.5 months).
In response to the lawyer's legitimate request to place the journalist next to him (due to Stupnitsky's hearing impairment and his inability to hear from the glass "aquarium"), Horbatovska responded with a rude refusal. This was despite the fact that the convoy, whom she consulted for permission, had no objections. Horbatovska raised her voice at the lawyer, actually silencing him, and generally behaved as if she were a "sea queen".
The defence had no choice but to file a motion for the judge's recusal, citing her bias. Furthermore, a month earlier, Horbatovska had already unlawfully rejected a motion from Stupnitsky's defence, cynically claiming that the journalist "failed to appear for the hearing" (as if he could voluntarily come or not come from the detention facility).
The question arises: why does the judge behave this way? After all, Stupnitsky is neither a murderer nor a robber. He posed no threat to the court. He could not escape (the windows in the court are barred). He had every right to be near his lawyer and to conduct his defence. Why did you have to be rude to the lawyer and cause a scandal?
There might be be several answers. This includes the "deification" of some of our judges (incidentally, Horbatovska herself has been involved in public scandals for "covering up" a colleague caught drunk-driving and was subjected to disciplinary action by the Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice). This is also a sense of impunity. But the main reason appears to be the social trend of viewing UOC representatives as enemies and second-class citizens.
So, Ukraine is certainly a democratic country. But, as practice shows, not for everyone.
Read also
Who is working for the Kremlin in Poland? OCU, Uniates and Catholics versions
Who in the conflict between Poland and Ukraine is "an agent of the Russian Federation"? Zelensky, who gave the UPA name to an AFU special operations center? Nawrocki, who stripped him of an order for it? Polish MEPs?
Can we judge those who joined the OCU from the military commissariat?
There are many known cases where priests and deacons of the UOC, detained by TRC officers, were offered a simple way to secure their release – to switch to the OCU. Most refused.
On Rivne Metropolitan's excuse for service in Jerusalem
If today we consider it possible to make excuses for concelebrating with the ROC, what will we have to justify tomorrow?
UOC isn’t banned, just ‘de-Russified’? Neither was UGCC under Stalin then
By Shevchuk’s logic, Stalin never banned the UGCC or curtailed freedom of conscience – he merely “freed” the souls of the Uniates from Bandera ideology.
A dip in the Jordan on “one – two – three”
Well-known OCU blogger in “holy orders” Oleksii Filiuk has come up with his own theological formula on the banks of the Jordan. It goes like this: “One – two – three.”
On the situation at Sviatohirsk Lavra
After the killing of Monk Varsonofiy and the attempted murder of two other monastery residents, many patriots claimed that the crime had been committed by enemy saboteurs.