Court of Appeal to examine the evidence of Metropolitan Jonathan's guilt
The request of the metropolitan’s defenders to disqualify the judges of the court of first instance was rejected.
In the Vinnytsia Court of Appeal, the first hearing in the case of Metropolitan Jonathan (Yeletskykh) of Tulchyn and Bratslav was held, reports the press service of the Tulchyn Eparchy.
"The court rejected the request of the defence to challenge the judges, but decided to examine all the evidence of the Vinnytsia City Court regarding the commission of criminal offences by Metropolitan Jonathan," the message of the eparchy says.
Metropolitan's lawyer Ihor Chudovsky said that the charges against Metropolitan Jonathan are groundless and politicised.
"The case against Metropolitan Jonathan is a case against the Orthodox faith, against freedom of speech, against justice. It is based on falsified evidence, testimony under pressure and stretched interpretations. Its purpose is to discredit and destrиct one of the active hierarchs of the UOC, who did not submit to political interests and did not betray his faith. Its goal is to scare and intimidate all those who do not agree with the state policy in church matters," Ihor Chudovsky said.
As reported, Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a demand to set up a special commission to study the abuses of the prosecution in the criminal case launched against him.
