Expert who found no defamation in Dumenko’s remarks to face disciplinary action
The research center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the application of disciplinary measures against the expert who covered up the unfounded accusations made by the head of the OCU against Metropolitan Theodosius.
The expert who prepared the conclusion regarding the words of OCU head Epiphanius Dumenko in the case concerning the protection of the honor and dignity of the Metropolitan of Cherkasy and Kaniv Theodosius is to be held disciplinarily liable. This was reported in the Telegram channel "Dozor", citing a document from the State Research Expert Forensic Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The matter concerns a psycholinguistic study conducted by expert Vadym Zhuravlov in the case related to the offensive statements made by Epiphanius Dumenko directed at Metropolitan Theodosius. Previously, the head of the OCU stated on the air of the TV channel "1+1" that the hierarch was allegedly "being engaged by the Russian Federation" and used to demonstrate the absence of religious freedom in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Theodosius appealed to the court, seeking the protection of his honor and dignity. In the course of the legal proceedings, representatives of Epiphanius Dumenko submitted the conclusion of expert Zhuravlov, which claimed that the statements made by the head of the OCU constituted value judgments and contained no signs of inaccuracy.
On the basis of this conclusion, the court of first instance denied the claims of Metropolitan Theodosius. However, the defense side of the hierarch appealed the expert's findings, pointing to their lack of justification. Subsequently, the appellate court declared the submitted conclusion inadmissible.
Following this, representatives of Metropolitan Theodosius approached the expert institution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs requesting an assessment of the specialist's actions. The State Research Expert Forensic Center reported that disciplinary decisions had been taken with regard to the expert.
As the UOJ previously reported, the court again fined the prosecution's expert in the case of Metropolitan Theodosius due to yet another failure to appear. It is precisely on her conclusions that the entire case against the UOC hierarch is built.
