Restrictions on Orthodox Church of Ukraine Violate Int'l Law, Religious Freedom – UN

GENEVA (Sputnik) - The actions of the Ukrainian authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the bill proposing the dissolution of religious organizations associated with Russia are contrary to freedom of religion and international law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Tuesday.

"I note also my concerns regarding freedom of religion, belief in Ukraine, given continuing action by the authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A draft law would set out the procedure for dissolving any religious organization with ties to the Russian Federation. These proposed restrictions to the right of freedom of religion do not appear to comply with international human rights law," Turk said during the presentation of the latest OHCHR report on Ukraine at the Human Rights Council.

Since the start of the special military operation, the Kiev regime has escalated its crackdown against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, using the flimsy excuse that it is allegedly tied to Russia. Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the press-service for the Russian Orthodox Church, recently explained to Sputnik that the persecution of Christians is being orchestrated by the Western bosses of the Zelensky regime.

These Western powers understand the significant role that religion plays in both Russia and Ukraine. Legoyda also pointed out that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a respected religious institution, is being targeted in this crackdown along with Orthodox Christianity as a whole.

This clampdown is seen as an effort to prop up the newly-created Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was established after the 2014 coup and is widely rejected by believers. One recent development is that the Kiev regime has added Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill to their "wanted" list. However, this move is purely symbolic, as the regime lacks any capability to bring charges against Patriarch Kirill.