Amsterdam appeals to western leaders over stripping Met Onuphry’s citizenship

His Beatitude Onufriy and Robert Amsterdam. Photo: @robertamsterdam

On July 24, 2025, international lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Robert Amsterdam, made a statement on the social media platform X, announcing his appeal to the global community in response to the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to strip the Primate of the UOC of his citizenship.

Amsterdam stated that he had sent open letters to Western leaders and Orthodox hierarchs around the world concerning “Mr. Zelensky’s outrageous move to strip His Beatitude Onufriy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine, of citizenship.”

“We look forward to engaging with them on this,” the attorney said.

The defense emphasized that this decision risks violating Ukraine’s obligations under the European Convention on Nationality and the European Convention on Human Rights.

“I write to raise urgent awareness of this shocking development, which is part of the broader suppression of my client, the UOC, and raises serious concerns about Ukraine’s commitment to civil liberties and the rule of law,” the letters read.

The legal team recalled the adoption of a totalitarian law banning the Church in Ukraine, noting that UOC clergy are being arrested on false charges and that church property is being forcibly confiscated by state authorities.

“Stripping Metropolitan Onufriy of his Ukrainian nationality is a calculated attack on the religious authority of a popular and much-loved man of God. Metropolitan Onuphry holds a Ukrainian passport and has never sought the citizenship from any other state,” the lawyers wrote.

They stressed that His Beatitude has been unfairly maligned by the Ukrainian government, which treats him as a state enemy without any factual basis.

“Moreover, the Ukrainian government’s attacks on Metropolitan Onufriy and the UOC completely ignore the fact that thousands of UOC members are serving on the front lines in Ukraine, making the ultimate sacrifice. Ukraine’s discrimination against the UOC is needlessly causing divisions in society at a time when the country desperately needs unity,” the document continues.

The defense team emphasized that Ukraine’s decision to strip Metropolitan Onufriy of citizenship and suppress the UOC constitutes a direct challenge to the values of democracy and human rights espoused by the West.

“I urge you to remind Ukraine of its obligations under international law to protect and advance civil liberties and human rights. It is beyond time that leaders of the West call on the Ukrainian government to put an end to persecution of Metropolitan Onufriy and the UOC.

While I recognize that Ukraine is fighting a war for its survival, its efforts to defend itself must not come at the cost of civil liberties, especially when such abuses imperil its future as a democratic and pluralistic state,” the lawyers concluded.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the attorney had earlier called the revocation of the UOC Primate’s citizenship an act of repression by President Zelensky.

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