Metropolitan Arseniy denied participation in the court hearing via video

Metropolitan Arseniy in the courthouse. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

On September 5, 2024, another preliminary hearing in the case of Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk took place at the Slovyansk District Court. This was reported by the monastery’s press service.

Present at the hearing were monks from the Lavra, nuns from the All Sorrowful Joy and St. John’s sketes, as well as parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who came to support the hierarch.

Earlier, the defense of Metropolitan Arseniy had petitioned to transfer the case to another court, but the Supreme Court rejected this request. The judge also noted that the defense had filed five appeals against the Slavyansk court's decision on August 15, which left Vladyka Arseniy in custody at the Dnipro detention center until October 13. All the appeals were denied.

During the September 5 session, the defense once again filed a motion, proposing that court hearings be held via videoconference. The lawyers argued that transporting Metropolitan Arseniy from Dnipro to Slovyansk poses a threat to his health and life, as well as to the convoy accompanying him, since the route passes through a combat zone.

Despite these arguments, the presiding judge, Tetiana Haustova, ruled to continue transporting Metropolitan Arseniy. The next hearing is scheduled for September 17 at 13:00.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the court left Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk in custody until October 13.

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