Court orders reopening of investigations into crimes against Kyiv Lavra

Law enforcers near the Lavra hotel. Photo: UOJ

March 20, Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv granted a complaint regarding the inaction of investigators from the State Bureau of Investigations, who refused to register information about criminal offenses that occurred on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in August 2023. This was announced on his Telegram channel by the Lavra's lawyer, Father Nikita Chekman.

The actions in question took place on August 10-12, when representatives of the Reserve, employees of the National Police of Ukraine, and special forces units of the NPU "KORD" seized the Lavra hotels where pilgrims and refugees were staying. As a result, a significant portion of pilgrims found themselves trapped in their own accommodation. The police and CORD forces prevented food from being delivered to these people, which legal experts interpret as an abuse of official powers.

"The prohibition on feeding people and providing them with food and essential medicines can lead to deterioration of their health, and therefore, it is a form of torture to influence them. Such actions violate the right to life and health," said Fr. Nikita.

All these actions were aimed at forcibly evicting people, despite the fact that the court decision had not yet entered into legal force.

The court ordered the authorized person of the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigations in Kyiv to register the information in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and to initiate an investigation. The lawyer noted that prior to this court decision, Lavra's lawyers had only received refusals to initiate investigations, refusals to complaints about the inaction of the State Bureau of Investigations. "Finally, the court has satisfied our demands!" Chekman wrote.

As reported by the UOJ, the head of the commission of the Ministry of Culture on the transfer of Lavra objects to the state stated that the presence of pilgrims in the Lavra hotel buildings is one of the reasons why the Lower Lavra is "locked down".

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