Expert: British politicians express concern about Bill No 8371
British politicians urged the Ukrainian government to send Bill No 8371 to the Venice Commission.
Prominent British politicians and human rights activists addressed a letter to Fiona Bruce, the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Freedom of Religion or Belief, regarding the religious situation in Ukraine. The letter was published on the censor.net website by political analyst Alexander Kochetkov.
The letter was signed by Lord Oates, Lord Boateng, Baroness Cox, Lord Curry of Kirkhale, MPs Danny Kruger, Nick Fletcher, Miriam Cates, Steve Double, Rt Hon David Jones, Karl Lockhart, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Loder – current or former members of the House of Commons.
In their appeal, the signatories referred to Bill No 8371 on the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine, emphasizing their support in the fight against Russian aggression.
"We, the undersigned members of the United Kingdom Parliament, reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s independence and its self-defense against the invasion of the Russian Federation.
Alongside our concern for Ukraine’s independence and freedom, we are increasingly concerned about the protection of the freedom of religion in Ukraine," the appeal states.
According to the politicians, Bill No. 8371, which is currently awaiting a second reading before the Rada, "is a potential violation of the freedom of religion, particularly in its impact on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church."
They called on the Ukrainian parliament and government to send this bill to the Venice Commission "to ensure such legislation meets constitutional and international legal requirements and is consistent with the principles of the rule of law in Europe”.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Mykyta Poturaev is initiating the submission of Bill No. 8371 to the Rada on July 23 to ban the UOC.
