Lawyers secure recusal of judge in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra case

The Church of St. Agapitus of the Caves. Photo: Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

The lawyer for the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Archpriest Nikita Chekman, announced on his Telegram channel that the defense succeeded in removing a biased judge from the panel of judges handling the Lavra case. A session of the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal in Kyiv addressed the issue of terminating the lease agreement for the monastery's use of the Lower Lavra.

“It was revealed that one of the judges recently assigned to our case had previously issued a ruling in another church-related matter, in which she explicitly stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is ‘part of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).’ Thus, the respected judge officially referred to the UOC as the ‘Moscow Patriarchate’ in a court decision,” Chekman explained.

The defense filed for recusal, arguing that such a judge could not objectively consider a case involving the UOC and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The panel of judges agreed and granted the motion for recusal, directing the case for reassignment through an automated distribution system.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the court hearing on evicting the monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has been postponed.

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