People’s deputy from the “EU” Nikolay Knyazhitsky accused the authorities of sabotaging steps to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He wrote about this on his Facebook page.

The deputy said that the authorities, ignoring his bill 8221, “are delaying the ban on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine for an indefinite period.”

In his opinion, the legal path chosen by the government in its actions against the UOC “contradicts the international obligations of Ukraine, in particular, those provided for by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the decisions and jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.”

Knyazhitsky is outraged by the words of the representative of the President in the Verkhovna Rada, Fyodor Venislavsky, that the authorities intend to ban the UOC in court.

“The ECHR has clearly established that religious associations (in Ukrainian law, religious organizations) may be prohibited by law,” he said.

Knyazhitsky noted that, according to Art. 16, part 4, paragraph 5 of the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”, court decisions concern only religious organizations that have the status of legal entities. At the same time, the ROC and the UOC are religious associations that do not have the status of legal entities. Consequently, their activities cannot be prohibited on the basis of this norm of the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”.

As a result, the people’s deputy said, “irreparable harm is being done to the interests of Ukraine’s national security, the democracy of our society and state, as well as the rights and freedoms of Orthodox Ukrainians, whom the state is obliged to protect from the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. And the ROC itself in Ukraine will remain permitted and will feel great.”

And this, according to Knyazhitsky, “cannot be allowed.”