The court leaves Met. Feodosiy under house arrest for another two months

Metropolitan Feodosiy, ruling bishop of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC, in court. Photo: vycherpno.ck.ua

The Sosnivka District Court in Cherkasy extended Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv's house arrest with an electronic bracelet for another two months on November 2, 2023, as reported by vycherpno.ck.ua.

During the court hearing, the prosecution tried to accuse the bishop of violating the rules he should adhere to while under house arrest. A representative from the prosecution said, "On October 24, the Metropolitan was in public places, particularly near one of the churches. At that time, there was no air raid warning in the region, so there were no grounds for him to be there."

The bishop's lawyers explained that on that day, after attending a court session, Metropolitan Feodosiy, before returning home, was consulting with his legal team, which drew the heightened interest of a representative of one of the media outlets. "This is not prohibited. My client has the right to communicate with his lawyers," noted Volodymyr Yudin, the bishop's defense attorney. "However, a certain individual interfered with the work of the lawyers, running around and filming."

The defense attorney for Metropolitan Feodosiy filed a motion to change the precautionary measure from house arrest to a personal obligation, but the judge rejected it.

However, the court did grant the defense's request to allow the bishop to meet with his lawyers for consultations after court sessions, which will take place on the premises of one of the city's churches.

The next hearing on the case was scheduled for November 13.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Metropolitan Feodosiy is accused of inciting religious hatred and justifying Russian aggression. Since April 12, 2023, he has been under house arrest.

On October 9, the Kyiv-Sviatoshynsky District Court rejected the prosecutor's request to place the bishop in custody.

On the same day, members of the United Nations Human Rights Council at their meeting in Geneva watched a video of Metropolitan Feodosiy addressing the persecution of believers in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The hierarch was granted UN human rights defender status.

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