Verkhovna Rada prohibits activities of UOC-MP in Ukraine

This was reported by the People’s Deputy of Ukraine from the parliamentary faction "Voice" Yaroslav Zheleznyak in Telegram .

He clarified that legislative initiative No. 8371 was adopted by 265 votes of people’s deputies.

Photo: Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Telegram

The purpose of the law is to protect national and public security, human rights and freedoms, as well as to determine the specifics of the activities of foreign religious organizations in Ukraine.

The text of the document notes that no provision of the law can be interpreted as restricting the freedom to practice religion or beliefs, the right to observe religious practices and ritual ceremonies.

It is established that the activities of foreign religious organizations located in a state recognized as having committed or is committing armed aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupying part of its territory, as well as those that directly or indirectly (including public statements by leaders or other governing bodies) support armed aggression against Ukraine, are prohibited on the territory of Ukraine.

“Considering that the Russian Orthodox Church is an ideological continuation of the regime of the aggressor state, an accomplice to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the name of the Russian Federation, and the ideology of the ‘Russian world’, the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine are prohibited,” the text of the law states.

It is also assumed that the activities of religious organizations affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine should be terminated.

Relations and communications between religious organizations, including religious communities, and foreign religious organizations whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine are not permitted.

It is established that a religious organization operating in Ukraine cannot have a governing center (administration) in the Russian Federation.

A commission will also be created, which should be independent from the executive branch and which will conduct research on the subject of connections, affiliations with Moscow or facts of the spread of the ideology of the “Russian world”.

During the review, the findings of religious studies examinations, information from other central executive authorities, data from public electronic registers, as well as information received from individuals and/or legal entities, from the media and other open sources may be used.

In the future, the results of the examination will be studied by the State Service for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience, which, if violations are identified, will issue an order.

The religious organization is given 2 months to comply with the requirements of the order to terminate ties with the Russian Federation, taking into account the administrative appeal procedure.

If the organization’s ties with the aggressor state are not severed within 60 days, the ESS will go to court.

As reported by Ukrinform, in January 2023, the government registered in the Verkhovna Rada draft law No. 8371 on the ban of religious organizations in Ukraine, according to which the activities of the UOC-MP may be suspended.