The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cautiously criticized the SBU searches on the territory of the UOC facilities.
This was reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent in the UN report on the human rights situation in Ukraine over the past six months.
It is noted that in a number of cases, SBU officers interrogated priests using a polygraph.
“OHCHR is concerned that state actions directed against the UOC may be discriminatory. OHCHR also reiterates the need to ensure that all persons facing criminal charges enjoy the full range of fair trial rights.
The report outraged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, whose position was announced by the ministry’s speaker Oleg Nikolenko on his social media page.
“In a recent report on human rights in Ukraine, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that searches in the buildings of the UOC-MP may be of a “discriminatory nature.” Ukraine is a democratic state in which freedom of religion is guaranteed. At the same time, freedom is not the same as the right to engage in activities that undermine national security.
We call on OHCHR to refrain from unbalanced political assessments and to base its reports on facts,” Nikolenko wrote.