UOC lawyer takes up defense of priest abducted in Lutsk

Archpriest Nikita Chekman. Photo: Chekman’s Facebook page

UOC lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman has taken up the case involving the abduction of Volyn cleric John Kuzminsky. His legal team has already prepared the necessary procedural documents to hold those responsible accountable and restore the priest’s rights.

The legal team contacted the rector’s wife and began collecting evidence related to the incident in Lutsk. According to the human rights lawyer, complaints and formal statements concerning the unlawful actions of the security personnel will soon be filed with law enforcement agencies.

Nikita Chekman noted the exceptional cynicism of the situation, in which military recruitment office personnel openly violated the law. The lawyer said that representatives of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center pressured witnesses to the forcible seizure.

“Representatives of the TCRSC, aware of the unlawful and arbitrary nature of their actions, threatened witnesses and eyewitnesses, urging them not to contact the police and warning that ‘things would get even worse,’” the human rights lawyer said.

As a reminder, a video circulated online showing the forcible abduction of the rector of the Church of St. John the Merciful in the village of Liubche. The incident occurred outside a store in Lutsk, where masked men forced a partially clothed man into a bus despite protests from eyewitnesses.

As the UOJ previously reported, the secretary of the Rivne Eparchy called on believers to protect their priests.

Read also