The UN criticized Ukraine for insufficient justification of the dissolution of religious organizations, in particular the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UPC MP). About this it is said on the UN website.
“Concern regarding the implementation of freedom of religion in Ukraine, including in the occupied territory, has increased since February 2022”, said Ilse Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights.
According to her, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 10 cases of physical violence and 6 cases of threats due to disputes between parishioners of different Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine.
“The liquidation of a religious organization is a serious restriction that affects the ability of people to practice their religion or beliefs together with others and endangers the viability of the community as a whole. Such a measure requires very good reasons. Ukraine has not demonstrated the necessity and proportionality of this measure.”, said the UN.
The authors of the report also draw attention to the fact that the adopted law allows the dissolution of religious communities on grounds that, according to the UN, are vague and do not provide clarity in interpretation. This creates a situation where the entire religious community can be held responsible for the actions of individual members.
According to the authors of the report, overly broad and ambiguous wording may threaten the right to freedom of expression of opinions and religious beliefs.
