UN Official Concerned Ukraine Draft Laws May Undermine Right of Religion, Belief
Ukrainian demonstrators carry a giant Ukrainian flag during a pro Ukrainian demonstration in Donetsk, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2014.
InternationalIndiaAfricaWASHINGTON (Sputnik) – UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris said she was concerned that two recent draft laws in Ukraine could undermine the right of religion as guaranteed by international law. “We are concerned that two draft law recently taken by the Parliament – draft law 8221 and draft law number 8262 – could undermine the right of religion or belief as enshrined in article 18 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights,” Kehris told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Kehris said that among the array of human rights concerns, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is particularly concerned about the documents restrictions of freedom of religion, as well as freedom of association across Ukraine. In November and December, the Ukrainian security service conducted searches in the places of worship of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the authorities criminally charged at least three clerics. “We urge the Ukrainian authorities that any such searches on the premises and places of worship are in full compliance with international law, that fair trial rights are given to those facing criminal charges and that any criminal sentences are compatible with the rights of freedom of opinion, expression and religion,” Kehris said. On December 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree to suspend the Ukrainian citizenship of 13 UOC clerics. Zelensky called on Ukraine’s parliament to adopt a bill to ban the UOC within two months and such a bill has since been submitted. Meanwhile, some local authorities in Ukraine have decided to ban the activities of the UOC. The UOC is the only canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine recognized by all other local Orthodox churches in the country.
