Orthodox journalists appeal to IAO because of persecution by the authorities

An IAO meeting in May 2024. Photo: UOJ

The Union of Orthodox Journalists has addressed the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy with a letter, calling on the organisation to defend the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian journalists and human rights defenders persecuted by the authorities.

We publish the full text of the appeal:

"Dear Mr Maximos Charakopoulos, Secretary-General of the IAO,

Dear Mr Eugeniusz Czykwin, President of the IAO,

Dear members of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy,

We, Orthodox journalists from Ukraine, believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the UOC), address you on behalf of our colleagues and brothers in Christ, journalists and priests who are being persecuted in Ukraine for their legitimate professional and social activities and have been in detention for over two months on charges by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

We emphasize that for two months now, three journalists and a priest have been in pre-trial detention without proven guilt, as if they were murderers or other dangerous criminals. They are detained solely for their publications and statements.

Unfortunately, in Ukraine, contrary to all declarations of a European choice and a democratic course, to which the current authorities claim to adhere, an open campaign of repression and discrimination against the UOC and its believers is taking place. It is enough to say that the Parliament of Ukraine is preparing for the second reading an unimaginable bill that will allow to ban and liquidate all UOC communities. To ban an entire Church. It has already been passed in the first reading.

Alongside our journalists, persecuted bishops, priests and monks bear the cross of confessors.

Under house arrest on dubious charges by the SBU are three ruling hierarchs of the UOC: Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy, Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhia. Also, the abbots of the two world's largest monasteries: Metropolitan Pavel and Metropolitan Arseniy. Moreover, since April 24, Bishop Arseniy has been detained for sermon, which he made 7 months ago; and a trial is underway against Metropolitan Longin of Bancheny and several other priests of the UOC.

As everyone knows, from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia on 24 February 2022, the UOC, represented by its Primate His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, testified to its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. His Beatitude called the Russian invasion a ‘Cain's sin’, urged the Russian authorities to stop the war and blessed his faithful to defend Ukraine.

This position, as well as the public disagreement with the military line of Patriarch Kirill, has been repeatedly affirmed in the decisions of the Holy Synod of the UOC.

In May 2022, the UOC, which had been autonomous and self-governing before, by the decision of the All-Ukrainian Local Council in Feofania (Kyiv), severed all administrative ties and communications with the ROC. Hundreds of thousands of our believers are on the front lines, defending Ukrainian land.

However, despite this, since the autumn of 2022, the authorities of Ukraine have organized and conducted a campaign of discrimination, harassment, searches, persecutions and attempts to ban the UOC. Seizures of UOC temples have become mass-scale, and hatred towards the largest Orthodox Church in Ukraine flows like a river through the media.

All these events were objectively reflected by journalists of the UOJ in their publications. They honestly described the glaring facts of forcible seizures of churches, when sanctuaries are demolished by bulldozers and believers are beaten by masked militants. You can easily verify this by visiting the website and reading their materials.

But the UOJ editorial board not only described the persecutions of the UOC in their materials but also condemned Russian aggression and was engaged in polemics with Russian propaganda regarding Church issues. The editorial staff supported the decision of the Council in Feofania and the position of its Primate. And the journalists who are now being tried for "state treason" published critical materials regarding the pro-war and unchristian statements of Patriarch Kirill and some famous figures of the ROC.

It is worth noting that the world does not remain indifferent and blind to the persecutions of the UOC and its faithful. Prominent public figures and politicians from the United States have repeatedly criticized the Ukrainian authorities for their undemocratic and counterproductive policies towards the UOC, drawing society's attention to the shameful repression against the Church.

Among them are US Senator from Ohio, Republican James David Vance, Senator from Kentucky Paul Rand, members of the House of Representatives from Florida Matt Gaetz and from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene, co-chair of the National Federation of Young Republicans Catherine Whitford.

The Synod of the Anglican Church in its report also noted problems with religious freedom in Ukraine and facts of persecution against the UOC. This is also echoed by European theologians and religious leaders worldwide.

We ask and await that Orthodox parliamentarians and the IAO as the most authoritative international organization of Orthodox politicians also raise their voices in defenсe of the rights of Orthodox Ukrainians!

Our journalists and priest are accused of treason, creating a criminal group, inciting hatred and committing other offences for their lawful, open public activities.

Their names are Valeriy Stupnitsky, Andriy Ovcharenko and Volodymyr Bobechko. They are journalists of the leading Orthodox information-analytical resource in Ukraine "the Union of Orthodox Journalists" (UOJ), which operates in six languages, including Greek, Romanian and Georgian, and is well-known in the Orthodox world. Along with them, Archpriest Serhiy Chertylin, an UOC priest and human rights defender, was also arrested.

We observe an openly launched assault on fundamental human rights in Ukraine, targeted against the believers of the UOC but threatening every citizen of the country. Freedom of religion, conscience, and now freedom of speech are under attack. People cannot be dictated which Church to attend and forced to choose using the power and authority of the state. The principle of collective guilt cannot be applied to an entire denomination. This must be stopped in the name of democracy, the European path of development and the future of Christianity in Ukraine.

Therefore, we ask the Secretary-General, the General Assembly, and IAO members to issue a statement to the Ukrainian authorities expressing concern about the situation with freedom of speech and religion in Ukraine in connection with the arrests of Orthodox journalists and priests, as well as the inadmissibility of biased treatment towards Orthodox media and religious discrimination in general, examples of which you are aware of.

We urge you to call on the Ukrainian authorities to release the Orthodox journalists and the priest from custody on bail or at least under house arrest, whose guilt has not been proven.

Ensure a transparent and legal judicial process for the "UOJ case", without violations, labelling and double standards so that criminal prosecution is not an instrument of religious and political repression.

This is our request and our cry for help to save freedom of speech and freedom of faith in Ukraine. We pray for our imprisoned brothers and religious peace for Ukraine and ask you, the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, to speak out.”

Earlier, the UOJ addressed open letters to international human rights organizations.

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