Case opened against UOC priest in Khmelnytskyi region for criticising OCU

The Church of St. John the Evangelist in the village of Peremyshel. Photo: news.church.ua

On May 10, law enforcers searched the house of a cleric of the Shepetivka Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Mykola Khlan, against whom criminal proceedings were opened under Part 1 Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (incitement of religious hatred), reports the UOC Information and Education Department with reference to the Legal Department.

The court ruling on the search says that during the investigation the witness, reporting that the priest "repeatedly spoke negatively about the transfer of churches from the UOC MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine" and criticized the activities of the OCU leadership, was questioned. According to the ruling, the information was received that Father Mykola "at his place of residence may hide information regarding his violation of the equality of citizens in their constitutional rights on the ground of their religious beliefs”.

The UOC Legal Department said that Archpriest Mykola Khlan is the rector of St John the Evangelist parish in the village of Peremyshel, which the authorities illegally re-registered to the OCU. In this connection, the Church's lawyers have filed a number of statements with the police and are preparing a lawsuit to challenge the illegal re-registration in court.

"We see a one-sided and biased attitude towards clerics of the UOC by the law-enforcement agencies when people are criminally prosecuted for criticizing the OCU for seizing churches and for their personal attitude towards the OCU," the Legal Department said. “But the obvious public and hostile calls regarding the UOC, which incite religious discord, are not noticed by the representatives of the law-enforcement agencies. We have such a selective application of the law.”

As reported, a regular session of the Uzhhorod City District Court in the case of the rector of the Holy Cross Cathedral of the UOC, Archpriest Dmytro Sydor, who is charged with "inciting religious hatred", will take place on 15 May.

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