UN Forum raises the issue of anti-church law on renaming UOC
UN Forum on Minority Issues. Photo: NGO “Public Advocacy”
At the 12th Forum on Minority Issues, which took place on November 28-29 in the large conference room of the Human Rights Council at the UN headquarters, the head of the NGO “Public Advocacy” Oleg Denisov raised the topic of the law on forced renaming of the UOC adopted in Ukraine, reports the NGO website.
“In accordance with the article of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination,” says the NGO statement.
The session, opened by the chairman of the UN Human Rights Council Coly Seck, was attended by UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Rights Michelle Bachelet, OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Lamberto Zannier, members of diplomatic missions of UN member states and international organizations.
“We are extremely concerned about the adoption in Ukraine of a law obliging religious organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to change their name and include information on their affiliation with the religious centre in the Russian Federation,” Oleg Denisov, head of the NGO “Public Advocacy”, said during the forum. “This law violates the right of believers to canonical identity, that is, the right to independently determine the name of their communities in accordance with prevailing historical, cultural and religious traditions. Such an identity is part of the right to freedom of religion and is subject to international protection. Our organization will make every effort to protect this right.”
As reported earlier, as a result of appeals of the NGO “Public Advocacy”, the UN Human Rights Committee blocked the eviction of the UOC religious community in Ivano-Frankovsk.
Read also
OCU chaplain: A soldier should not feel guilty for killing enemies
According to a cleric of the OCU, the word “killing” should not even be used in this context.
AFU servicewoman punished by “being sent to the frontline” for defending UOC
An OCU representative explained how commanders punish UOC believers who defend their Church.
UOC church seized after OCU's and UGCC's provocation at soldier's funeral
Supporters of the UGCC brought the body of a soldier into the church, pressuring a UOC priest to conduct the funeral according to the Greek Catholic rite in an Orthodox church.
UOC hierarch calls on the faithful to pray for the return of seized shrine
Metropolitan Theodosiy urged the faithful to communal and personal prayer to Archangel Michael.
Russian Orthodox Church Primate: Christ did not condemn death penalty
The Patriarch added that, although the Church does not welcome the death penalty, it has never condemned it if this punishment is carried out in accordance with the law.
Metropolitan Jonathan appeals sentence to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has requested criminal case files from the Vinnytsia City Court for cassation review.