Court keeps Metropolitan Arseniy in pre-trial detention until October 13

Metropolitan Arseniy in court, Slovyansk, August 15, 2024. Photo: Screenshot from Suspilne video

On August 15, the third day of the preparatory court hearing on the case of the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseniy, took place at the Slovyansk City District Court. According to Suspilne, the court extended the measure of pre-trial detention for the hierarch until October 13.

The defense attorneys for the UOC hierarch requested changing his pre-trial detention to house arrest. Nine members of parliament prepared a petition for the release of the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra under their personal guarantee. These MPs are Yuriy Boyko, Vitaliy Bort, Viktoriya Gryb, Artem Dmytruk, Serhiy Dunaev, Serhiy Larin, Pavlo Khalimon, Yuriy Pavlenko, and Artem Kultenko.

“The preventive measure (they request to change – ed.) from detention to personal guarantee by members of parliament. In case of refusal to grant the petitions, they request to consider an alternative pre-trial measure in the form of bail,” Judge Tetiana Khaustova read out the MPs' petition.

Prosecutor Oleksandr Lutsenko requested a 60-day extension of the pre-trial detention for the accused.

“My case is only part of the current sentiments in the Verkhovna Rada regarding the ban on the UOC. If I am convicted, it will be used as leverage by opponents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and for the Verkhovna Rada to make a decision on banning the UOC,” said Metropolitan Arseniy.

After a break, the judge announced a ruling granting the prosecutor's request to extend the pre-trial detention for Metropolitan Arseniy in the Dnipro Detention Center until October 13.

The next preparatory court hearing will take place on August 20.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the brethren of the Sviatohirsk Monastery described the conditions of Metropolitan Arseniy’s detention as torture and deemed his pre-trial detention unconstitutional.

Read also