For the first time since its independence, Ukraine was included in the list of countries where the rights of believers are violated

For the first time, Ukraine was included in the list of European countries where the rights of Orthodox Christians are violated.

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Hostile actions and violence against Ukrainian believers were mentioned in a report published on June 22 by the Center for Monitoring Violations of the Rights and Freedoms of Orthodox Christians in Europe. reports Patriarchia.ru.

In the document set out cases of discrimination, inhumane treatment, examples of legislative initiatives, false accusations, etc., recorded in 2015.

According to the report, serious and numerous violations of the rights of believers occurred in December-January, when Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas and Epiphany, as well as in March-April, during Lent, spiritual preparation for Easter. Thus, violators choose the most religiously important periods of the year for Orthodox Christians for their actions.

Cases of inhumane treatment, persecution, intimidation, detention, beatings of Orthodox priests and believers have been recorded, which violate Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The report mentions 4 cases of murder and 3 cases of beating of priests and church staff in Albania, Ukraine and Russia. A certain level of hostility towards Orthodox Christians persists in Albania, Kosovo and Croatia. In Ukraine, the Church is subject to periodic attacks from various radical groups.

In 2015, numerous cases were recorded of Orthodox Christians being deprived of the freedom to hold peaceful assemblies (Article 11 of the ECHR) in churches that belong to them on the basis of property rights for the exercise of their religious duties (Ukraine, Kosovo, Albania). For example, some Orthodox communities (Ukraine) cannot use their legal lands (violation of Article 1, protection of property, Protocol to the Human Rights Convention) because they have been taken over by radical groups of citizens and the authorities have failed to enforce the rule of law.

Radical forces in Ukraine voiced calls for the confiscation of the Pochaev and Kiev Pechersk Lavras from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and their transfer to an alternative community - the “Kyiv Patriarchate”. The political forces that initiated these actions used the shrine of Orthodoxy for their own political purposes. In some regions of Ukraine (Volyn, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Chernivtsi regions) there have been cases of attempted seizure or seizure of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the approval, connivance or participation of local authorities.

Numerous cases of vandalism and desecration of Orthodox churches were observed (Albania, Croatia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine). This not only insults the dignity of believers, but creates obstacles for them to perform divine services in desecrated premises.

The report of the Center for Monitoring Violations of the Rights and Freedoms of Orthodox Christians in Europe will be sent to the heads of various structures of the Council of Europe, diplomatic missions in Strasbourg and public organizations. The document will also be presented at Council of Europe events for wider dissemination of information about violations of the rights of Orthodox believers.