Bishop Victor meets with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) of Baryshevka told European Commissioner Dunja Mijatović about the facts of pressure and discrimination against the clergy and believers of UOC.
The meeting of Bishop Victor of Baryshevka, Head of the Representative Office of the UOC to the European International Organizations, and Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, took place today, February 28, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of systematic violations of the rights of believers in Ukraine, including the recent increase in illegal seizures of temples of the canonical Church.
Bishop Victor reported on the pressure and discriminatory processes now taking place in relation to the clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which, despite everything, continues its peacekeeping service.
The UOC representative took the Commissioner for Human Rights live to Lutsk, where at that time the bishops, clergy, and believers of the two eparchies of the Volyn region were doing the prayerful standing at the walls of the Regional State Administration, and explained that in this way, the UOC believers were now forced to protect their right to freedom of religion.
European Commissioner Dunja Mijatović noted that she was already partially informed of human rights violations in Ukraine caused by interfaith confrontation. According to her, she will continue to closely monitor the observance of human rights and freedoms in Ukraine and take all possible preventive actions within her mandate.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed on cooperation to ensure the legal rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens, believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As the UOJ reported, on February 27, the Head of the UOC Representative Office to the European International Organizations held a meeting at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Earlier, Bishop Viktor (Kotsaba) sent an appeal to officials of the UN, OSCE, EU and other countries in connection with the facts of massive violations of human rights in Ukraine and the real threat of escalation of religious conflicts.
