Sviatohirsk Lavra on conditions of Met Arseniy's detention: This is torture

Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

On August 8 and 9, the transfer of the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko), to the Sloviansk District Court took 16 hours each day. The brethren of the Sviatohirsk Monastery stated that such actions can only be described as "deliberate and targeted torture".

The monastery's press service reported that the defense team had submitted a request in advance to the court to postpone the hearing from August 8 to August 9 due to the inability of all the bishop's lawyers to participate on the earlier date. However, on August 8, Bishop Arseniy was still transferred from the Dnipro pre-trial detention center to the Sloviansk court.

"One-way transportation takes half a day. The departure from the detention center occurs after 6:00 AM, with the wake-up call at least an hour earlier. Then follows a transfer in uncomfortable conditions in a prison van, during which Metropolitan Arseniy was not provided with food or even water. The return journey to Dnipro in the same conditions ended at 11:30 PM. Overall, on August 8, the bishop spent about 16 hours in the uncomfortable conditions of the prison van," the monastery explained.

It is noted that on August 9, the transfer (under the same conditions) was repeated—this time for actual participation in the hearing. Additionally, due to these transfers, Metropolitan Arseniy was only able to rest for about 4 hours on the night of August 8-9.

"Such actions against the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra can only be described as deliberate and targeted torture," stated the brethren of the Lavra.

The hearing on August 9 lasted about two hours, during which time the bishop was held in a "box." The monks and nuns who came to support the abbot were only allowed to pass him some fruits and vegetables.

As reported by the UOJ, on that day, the court decided to conduct Bishop Arseniy's case in a closed session, and the judge did not even begin to address the issue of his detention. The court also ignored the request of Vladyka Arseniy and his lawyers not to transfer him each time from the Dnipro pre-trial detention center to the Sloviansk District Court, but instead to allow him to participate in the hearings via video link.

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