Court hearings in the case of Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk postponed

Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra website

The hearings of the Dnipro Court of Appeal and the Sloviansk City District Court, scheduled for September 25, 2025, in the case of Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, were postponed, according to the press service of the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

The Dnipro court was supposed to review the complaint filed by Metropolitan Arseniy’s lawyers against the extension of his detention. During the session, the internet connection with the Dnipro pre-trial detention center, where the hierarch is being held, was lost. The judge announced that the hearing could not proceed without the defendant’s participation and suspended it until the connection was restored. Although the connection was soon re-established, the hearing was not resumed that day. A new date has not yet been set.

On the same day, a hearing at the Sloviansk City District Court on the motion by the defense to recuse Judge Tatyana Khaustova was also postponed. It is scheduled to take place on September 29 at 10:40.

If the motion for recusal is rejected, a preparatory hearing is set for the same day at 13:00, where the prosecutor’s request to extend Metropolitan Arseniy’s detention for another 60 days is expected to be considered.

Lawyers note that the hierarch’s prolonged isolation has led to a deterioration in his health.

“If the court grants this [motion], it will create serious risks for the bishop’s health. Being held in the detention center has caused a sharp decline in the abbot’s condition. The longer he remains in custody, the worse his health becomes,” the statement reads.

Metropolitan Arseniy has been held in the Dnipro pre-trial detention center since April 25, 2024.

As the UOJ previously reported, the defense is demanding the recusal of the judge due to violations of the UOC hierarch’s rights.

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