The UN believes that the rights of believers of the UOC-MP are not protected in Ukraine.
The UN stated that Ukrainian law enforcement officers allegedly do not take measures to protect believers of the UOC-MP.
This is stated on the UN website.
“Concerns about the implementation of religious freedom in Ukraine, including in occupied territory, have increased since February 2022,” said Ilse Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. In her opinion, tension is growing in Ukraine between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
According to her, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 10 cases of physical violence and 6 cases of threats due to disputes between parishioners of different Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine.
“The response of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in these cases failed to sufficiently investigate the incidents and take measures to protect believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP – ed.),” says Kekhris.
The UN representative recalled that out of more than 6,600 criminal cases initiated for collaboration and other war-related crimes, 68 relate specifically to the clergy of the UOC-MP.
She therefore called for “the rights to due process and fair trial in these sensitive cases to be fully respected.”
It was previously reported that the UOC-MP hired a lobbyist in the United States for $1,400 to promote its interests.
Let us recall that the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading adopted a bill banning the UOC-MP.
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