11-year sentence in absentia for Luhansk Metropolitan

Metropolitan Panteleimon. Photo: SBU

The SBU reported reported that the court issued a verdict in absentia against Metropolitan Panteleimon (Povorozniuk) of Luhansk — 11 years of imprisonment for “collaborating with the Rashists.” All of the hierarch’s property was also confiscated. Additionally, the court deprived Metropolitan Panteleimon of the right to hold any positions in religious organizations for 13 years.

Metropolitan Panteleimon is accused of "collaboration with the Rashists in the temporarily occupied territories". Specifically, his presence in the Kremlin at the ceremony of the so-called annexation of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

The archbishop is accused of "spreading enemy propaganda during a round table meeting in Luhansk", as well as "repeatedly giving interviews to Russian propagandists, where he called for the continuation of the war against Ukraine and the seizure of new territories of our state."

Based on the collected evidence, the court found the metropolitan guilty under Part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding the aggressor state).

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the SBU announced an in absentia suspicion to Metropolitan Panteleimon of Luhansk.

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