Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy head vouches for UOJ journalists

The head of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO), former member of the Polish Sejm, Eugeniusz Czykwin, has provided surety to the Ukrainian court for UOJ journalists Valery Stupnitsky, Andriy Ovcharenko, and Volodymyr Bobechko, who were arrested on March 12 on suspicion of state treason and inciting interreligious strife.

The head of the IAO notes that being the chairman of the International Assembly of Orthodoxy, a member of the Polish Sejm, an activist of the Orthodox community, and a politician, he monitors events in the world Orthodoxy, especially in neighboring Ukraine.

"I want to note that the position of the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) is deeply Christian overall, and the publications of this resource are permeated with an objective assessment of the events in the church life of Ukraine, which cannot fail to concern the world community," Czykwin wrote.

The politician notes that the Union of Orthodox Journalists distributes "documents, opinions, and comments both from the hierarchs of the canonical Church and from ordinary believers on the Internet, allowing readers to form an independent opinion about the religious life of Ukraine at the present stage."

"The UOJ has always called things by their names, not afraid to speak the truth, worked to enhance Ukraine's authority on the international level, and the publications of its authors represent a high-quality objective analysis of the events with references to the history of the Church and its doctrinal foundations," he wrote.

In his letter, Czykwin gives a positive characterization of each of the imprisoned employees of the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

The IAO head told the Ukrainian court that he met Stupnitsky at the presentation of the UOJ's 30th award from the Polish Foundation named after Konstantin Ostrogsky for contributions to the development of Orthodox culture and spirituality.

"In my personal belief as a journalist and a representative of the Orthodox Church and as a politician, as well as the beliefs of my colleagues not only in Poland but also abroad, Valery Stupnitsky is an honest, highly professional, and patriotic person, a journalist who sincerely loves his Motherland and the Church," Czykwin wrote.

He also wrote that, in his opinion, all accusations against V. A. Stupnitsky are "absurd and untrue, and his professional activities did not contribute to inciting interreligious strife and did not violate Ukraine's law on freedom of speech."

Regarding journalist Volodymyr Bobechko, the politician wrote that the former had always been an ardent patriot of his country and a deeply religious person all his conscious life.

"For this reason, he became an employee of the organization where he could actualize himself as a professional journalist and an Orthodox Christian, for whom the concept of freedom of religion and religious beliefs is one of the top priorities in the hierarchy of his values," the politician noted.

In relation to Andriy Ovcharenko, Czykwin wrote that the detention and accusation of this journalist under several articles of the Criminal Code are "a big misunderstanding and mistake", the accusations against him are fabricated and unfounded, and the persecution is politically motivated.

Taking into account all of the above, the Polish politician is confident that all accusations against Orthodox journalists should be dropped.

As reported by the UOJ, Valery Stupnitsky responded to the SBU's charges in court.