Rivne court fines man for criticizing parish's "transfer" to OCU
Statue of Themis. Photo: northcountychronicle.com
The Zarichne District Court in Ukraine’s Rivne region found Oleksandr Mosiichuk guilty of inciting religious hatred over Facebook comments criticizing the “transfer” of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church parish in the village of Butove to the OCU. The court imposed a fine of 3,400 hryvnias, according to zaxid.net.
In his comments, Mosiichuk called those involved in the change of jurisdiction “Judases who crucify Christ and wage war against God.” Later, on March 21, he also posted a video on his Facebook page criticizing the parish’s change of jurisdiction.
An expert assessment classified his actions under Part 1 of Article 161 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code as deliberate acts aimed at inciting religious hatred. During the hearing, presided over by Judge Roman Svitlychnyi, Mosiichuk pleaded guilty and entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor.
In addition to the fine, the court ordered the confiscation of Mosiichuk’s cell phone, transferring it to state ownership. The ruling can still be appealed.
As the UOJ previously reported, OCU supporters had held a meeting in Butove to arrange the “transfer” of the UOC parish.
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