MP: UOC is a "test" group for which authorities have revoked human rights

Believers of the UOC in Cherkasy near the fence of their cathedral, seized by the OCU. Photo: focus.ua

Imprisoned Member of Parliament Oleksandr Dubinsky commented on his Telegram channel about the reaction of Ukrainian media to a Report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which criticized the violation of the rights of UOC believers.

Dubinsky cited descriptions by pro-government media of the report, labeling it “scandalous” and a “desperate attempt to defend an FSB branch in Ukraine.”

“And, of course, my favorite word ‘allegedly’: Ukrainian law enforcement, allegedly, is not taking measures to protect UOC believers,” the MP wrote. “Meanwhile, UOC believers are simply a test group of people for whom human rights have been revoked in Ukraine. Mastery was honed by hanging the label of ‘Moscow priests,’ while under its cover, elderly people and women were assaulted.”

He is convinced that the next “group to lose their rights are the ‘evaders,’” – men aged 25–60 who are being “beaten and kidnapped on the streets.”

“And then, the rights of everyone else were taken away – by banning elections and changing the government, which is no longer accountable to the people in any way. For them, we are now allegedly people,” concluded Oleksandr Dubinsky.

As the UOJ previously reported, MP Dubinsky earlier stated that exemptions would only be granted to UOC clergy who transition to the OCU.

Read also

U.S. House of Representatives passes ban on sex-change surgeries for minors

The lower house of Congress supported an initiative limiting medical interventions that could have irreversible consequences for the health of minors.

Armenian Church to appeal to international bodies over government pressure

The decision was made by the Supreme Spiritual Council in Etchmiadzin against the backdrop of criminal cases, pressure on the clergy, and the state's attempts to interfere in church life.

Pashinyan's supporters attempt to storm Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia

The confrontation around the Armenian Apostolic Church intensified after rebellious hierarchs called for the Catholicos's resignation and attempted to exert forceful pressure in Etchmiadzin.

Persecuted community of Maliatyntsi celebrates first patronal feast after seizure

In Bukovyna, the faithful of the St. Nicholas community in the village of Maliatyntsi celebrated the Feast Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia for the first time after the church seizure.

European authorities downplay scale of Christian persecution, report says

Human rights defenders reported an increase in attacks on believers in the EU and pointed out that official statistics do not reflect the real level of anti-Christian hostility.

Mukachevo Eparchy bishops congratulate orphaned children on St Nicholas Day

Metropolitan Theodore and Bishop Hilarion visited the “New Family” children’s shelter in Uzhhorod.