The Administrative Courts opens proceedings against Ukrainian Ministry of Culture over the requirement to rename and reregister the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
March 29, 2019 – The District Administrative Court of Kyiv opened proceedings in the case of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s lawsuit against the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture related to the requirement to rename and reregister itself as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, according to the press-service of the Court, as translated by the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
The court noted that the UOC requested to recognize as illegal the Ministry of Culture’s publication on its official website and in a government newspaper “Uriadovy Kuryer” a list of religious organizations that are “part of the structure (part of) a religious organization (association), the management center of which is located outside Ukraine in the state, which is recognized by law as having committed military aggression against Ukraine[note]Article 12 of the Ukrainian law ‘On the freedom of conscience and religious organizations”.[/note]”, and thus required, for instance, to change their name to reflect the affiliation. The latter is based on the provisions of part 7 and part 8 of article 12 of the Ukrainian law “On the freedom of conscience and religious organizations”.
Sources:
- The press-service of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv – 29 March 2019, “The Court opened the proceedings in a suit against Ministry of Culture by the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the UOC”
- Union of Orthodox Journalists – 29 march 2019, “Court opens proceedings in the case of Kiev Metropolis against Ministry of Culture”
- Ukrainian Parliament (Rada) – “On the freedom of conscience and religious organizations”
Related Publications:
- March 26, 2019 – The Administrative Court of Kiev closed the case on the competence of the President of Ukraine to interfere in activities of the church and religious organizations.
- March 20, 2019 – Ukrainian Orthodox Church Representative to the European International Organisations points out “a further proof of the existence of systematic state policy of discrimination against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”
- March 13, 2019 – A report on the situation about the human rights in Ukraine was published by the UN shortly before the presidential elections in Ukraine.