October 30, 2024
Cited article by Human Rights Watch News
HRRC condemns any prosecution or penalty not based on specific, unlawful actions but solely on the adherence to a peaceful practice of religion.
News Brief
According to Human Rights Watch, Ukraine’s new law banning religious organizations with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church could have far-reaching consequences for Ukrainians’ right to religious freedom. The law, adopted in August 2024, prohibits the Russian Orthodox Church from operating in Ukraine and bans any religious organization in the country with ties to it or any other religious organizations based in countries “engaged in armed aggression against Ukraine.” If found to have links, an organization would have nine months to sever them, otherwise the agency can petition a court to shut it down.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was established in 1990 as an autonomous branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leadership supports Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has repeatedly condemned Russia’s war and took steps to ensure its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. However, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience found these steps unsatisfactory, stating that the “status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a structural subdivision of the Russian Orthodox Church... remains unchanged.”