Lavra lawyer: Suspicion against hierodeacon Pavlo is dubious

Hierodeacon Pavlo. Photo: Telegram channel "Lavra Now"

Lawyers from the Legal Defense Center are providing legal assistance to Hierodeacon Pavlo (Muzychuk), whose cell was searched today by SBU personnel, said Lavra lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman.

He noted that "Father Pavlo is an active participant in defending the rights of the monastery and is one of the participants in legal proceedings against the unlawful deprivation of the right to use the temples of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the eviction of monks."

The priest reminded that the hierodeacon "was informed of suspicion under part 1 of article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, allegedly for 'justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation'."

According to Archpriest Nikita, "the content of the suspicion message is currently quite dubious, and all circumstances must be thoroughly investigated and verified in a judicial manner."

He said that "the prosecution side is applying to the Solomiansky District Court of Kyiv with a motion for the application of a preventive measure against Father Pavlo in the form of a bail worth 500,000 hryvnias."

"This amount is disproportionate for a monk who is not employed anywhere, has no sources of income, and is fully dependent on the monastery's support," wrote Fr. Nikita, adding that "the date and time of consideration of the motion are currently unknown."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the SBU announced suspicion to the Lavra monk.

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