UOC Law Dept: No case’s been initiated against "Quarter 95" mockers so far

"Quarter 95". Photo: news.church.ua

The Legal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church stated that no investigation has yet been initiated against the comedians from "Bayraktar News" who publicly mocked Christian symbols and insulted the religious feelings of Orthodox Christians, reports to news.church.ua.

On December 15, 2022, a criminal complaint under Part 1 Article 161 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code ((incitement to enmity) was filed with the law-enforcement agencies. It is noted that all complaints about the inaction of the investigator, requests and letters to the relevant authorities and the court remained unanswered for a long time.

"Only these days we have learnt from the law enforcement officials that ‘the application is assigned to district police officers’, while no other information is available. At present, it is not known whether the court decision, which obliges to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, has been fulfilled," explain the lawyers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

At the same time, criminal proceedings are hastily opened against bishops and priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by law enforcement agencies on charges of inciting hatred during church preaching, where the clergy try to defend their religious beliefs.

"This situation not only demonstrates the inaction of the Pechersk Police Department of the National Police in Kyiv, the Pechersk District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv, and the Main Department of the National Police of Kyiv to initiate a pre-trial investigation into the statement of a criminal offence but also indicates the resistance of law enforcement agencies to the attempts of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC to protect the violated rights of UOC believers, to prevent the commission of new criminal offences. The mentioned video causes indignation among citizens in connection with the humiliating attitude towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its clergy," explained the Legal Department of the UOC.

As previously reported, the head of the Legal Department of the UOC stated that the blasphemy of "Quarter 95" falls under the Criminal Code.

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