OSCE expert: Pressure on Romanian parishes may strengthen UOC in EU courts

Natallia Vasilevich. Photo: Vasilevich's Telegram channel

OSCE expert Natallia Vasilevich stated that discrimination by Ukrainian authorities against parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine could significantly strengthen the position of the UOC in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

"A joint lawsuit will remove the argument about national security during wartime, which is used against the UOC, suspected of affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate, but is not applicable to the Romanian Orthodox Church," the expert explains.

According to Vasilevich, the current situation shows that from the perspective of the Ukrainian state, it is not enough to break affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. Several UOC parishes transferred to the Romanian Church, but Ukrainian authorities did not recognize this transition.

"The Ukrainian authorities offer only one alternative – to join the OCU,” the expert noted. “This means they see the problem with the UOC not so much in its affiliation with the MP as in the fact that it exists outside the OCU and is not part of its structure. All the arguments about affiliation with a center in an aggressor country are used only to incite moral panic in society regarding the UOC."

The expert reminds that the Romanian Orthodox Church already has successfully won cases in the ECHR regarding the registration of its structures. In particular, the case "Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and Others v. Moldova" is indicative.

The persecution of Romanian Orthodox parishes in Ukraine could become an additional argument in favor of the UOC when considering cases in European judicial instances, as it demonstrates the systemic nature of violations of religious freedoms by Ukrainian authorities.

As reported, according to the international human rights organization Forum 18, DESS is sabotaging the registration of the Romanian Church in Ukraine, citing the need for OCU consent. Those wishing to join the Romanian Church are threatened by the TCC.

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