Gennady Askaldovich, Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Minister for Cooperation in the Field of Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Religion, said that Moscow called on relevant international organizations to demand that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky abandon the idea of banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. (UOC). His statement was published on: Web site Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Askaldovich’s message emphasizes that the Ukrainian government should be called upon to comply with generally accepted international documents declaring the state’s obligation to ensure the harmonious development of religious communities and organizations, as well as the right of people and citizens to freedom of religion.
Before that, the head of Ukraine’s civil service for ethnopolitics and freedom of conscience, Viktor Yelensky statedHe said the bill banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the country would not restrict religious freedom.
On the website of UOC’s legal department An explanation emerged He said that the bill banning UOC, which the Verkhovna Rada accepted in the first reading, does not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights and the country’s constitution. The message stated that the bill violates the right to freedom of religion and contains significant deficiencies in legal technology.
In August, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva reported: in the name UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk condemned Kiev’s repression against the clergy and congregation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
Previously Verkhovna Rada accepted In the first reading of a bill proposing to ban the canonical UOC in Ukraine.