Human rights advocates: DESS sabotaging establishment of RomOC in Ukraine

Yelenskyi. Photo: DESS Press Service

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has been blocking the registration of the Religious Association of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine for nearly a year, reports the international human rights organization Forum 18.

The registration application was submitted on August 28, 2024, by lawyer Eugen Patras on behalf of three Romanian Orthodox communities – one in Chernivtsi Oblast and two in Odesa Oblast. According to Ukrainian law, DESS was required to make a decision by November 28, 2024, but this never occurred.

DESS head Viktor Yelenskyi told human rights defenders that resolving the issue requires “broad consultations” and the consent of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). He claimed that the Romanian side’s refusal to coordinate the creation of structures with the OCU “outrages the public and local communities in both Chernivtsi and Odesa, and is perceived as a sign of disrespect toward Ukraine.”

Yelenskyi asserted that the OCU “is responsible not only for Ukrainians, but for all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, regardless of their ethnic origin.”

However, human rights advocates cite Ukraine’s Law on Religion, which states that religion is separate from the state and that the state does not interfere in the affairs of religious organizations. According to them, Yelenskyi’s actions clearly contradict Ukrainian law.

Notably, five days after the application was submitted, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) banned attorney Patras (a Romanian citizen) from entering Ukraine for three years. Patras himself suspects that the ban is connected to the church issue.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Romanian Church had responded to Ukraine’s call to recognize the OCU.

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