A Ukrainian MP of former President Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party, Iryna Herashchenko, has said that their parliamentary faction had filed a complaint with the Security Service of Ukraine over the activities of US human rights defender Robert Amsterdam, who represents the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The MP said that Amsterdam is exercising pressure on the activities of the Ukrainian Parliament. About this she wrote in her Telegram-channel.

“People’s deputies received another letter from the lawyer Robert Amsterdam regarding the vote for the bill 8371 on the ban of Moscow popes. Amsterdam again threatens sanctions for the vote and demands to refuse to pass the law”, – Gerashchenko writes.

Gerashchenko added that according to the legislation of Ukraine, people’s deputies are not legally responsible for the laws that are adopted in the Verkhovna Rada. In addition, she said that Amsterdam allegedly spreads fakes about the persecution of representatives of the UOC.

“As a lawyer, Mr. Amsterdam should have known that the Verkhovna Rada is an independent legislative body of power, Article 80 of the Constitution of Ukraine determines that deputies are not legally responsible for the results of the vote. There is also slander here against the SBU, which allegedly beats priests. The turbulent activity of Mr. Amsterdam can be regarded as an attempt to interfere in the work of the Verkhovna Rada and pressure on MPs, spreading lies against other state institutions”, – the MP wrote.

The representative of the “European Solidarity” party concluded that the organization has addressed the SSU regarding the activities of Robert Amsterdam with a proposal to impose personal sanctions on the lawyer, adding that at the next parliamentary session the bill No. 8371 will be put on the agenda for consideration.

“The ES” requested the SSU to assess the actions of Amsterdam himself and his attempts to interfere in the activities of the Ukrainian Parliament. And is it not worth imposing sanctions on him? At the next meeting of the Verkhovna Rada we will demand consideration of the bill in the second reading”, – concluded Gerashchenko.

We will remind, on March 19, 2024 the head of the international human rights company “Amsterdam & Partners LLP” Robert Amsterdam, representing the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, sent another letter to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The lawyer urges the deputies to abandon the idea of voting in the second reading for the scandalous bill No. 8371 aimed at banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.