On August 25, the Kiev District Administrative Court opened proceedings on a lawsuit filed by the Kiev Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience. The legal department of the UOC provided its commentary on the matter.

“In January 2023, the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience conducted a religious expert examination of the Statute on the governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for the presence of church-canonical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate,” the commentary reads. – As it has been repeatedly noted, the religious expertise was conducted in violation of the law, by biased and hostile to the UOC experts, who arbitrarily changed the subject and object of the study, resorting to manipulations”.

The Legal Department emphasizes that the UOC according to its charter documents is independent and autonomous in its governance and structure, and its governing bodies – the Council and Synod – are located in Kiev, but all the actions of the SSEFC on the examination lack objectivity and intention to really establish the real state of affairs.

“Given the absence of any actions on the part of representatives of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience, aimed at eliminating the violation of legal requirements, the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appealed for the protection of its rights in court,” the UOC human rights activists report.

The Legal Department of the UOC expresses hope that the court will make an appropriate decision that will stop the use of illegal expertise, as well as manipulations aimed at the brazen violation of the right to freedom of religion of 12 thousand religious organizations of the UOC and millions of believing citizens of Ukraine.