According to Halyna Hulchuk, resident of vlg.Badyvka:
“On 26 November 2015 at nearly 7 a.m. the Kyiv Patriarchate representatives together with the “Right Sector” and “Netishin Selfdefense” members came to the church. When I approached the church I saw the church windows were lit. The law enforcement did not take any actions, just checked the documents. When we wanted to enter the church, the Kyiv Patriarchate representatives threatened to burn our houses down. Later, the KP representatives came to the shop where I work and demanded that I should be evicted from the village; they accused me of receiving money from Putin. After that our community accommodated a tent for an improvised church and we had services there despite winter frosts. At present the divine worships are conducted by the UOC senior priest in one of my house rooms. We are prevented from entering our church…”
The UOC religious community of vlg.Badyvka is an owner of the church. Upon the application of the senior priest the police opened a criminal proceeding which was soon closed due the lack of grounds for the investigation. A complaint the priest filed to the court about inaction of the investigator was sustained, moreover, the court noted in its decision that the investigator not only failed to interrogate witnesses – the UOC parishioners, but did not even interrogate the aggrieved party – the senior priest who had filed an application to the police. Even after the decision on reversal of the criminal proceeding was cancelled, the guilty persons who illegally seized and disrupted church services remain at large and haven’t been brought to justice. The addendum to the report contains documents related to this case.
To learn more about religious freedom infringements committed against the UOC believers you are encouraged to consult our detailed reports and statements:
- Collection of Information Materials and Documents “Facts, Evidence and Claims Regarding Violations of the Rights of Believers and Religious Organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2014-2016”.
- Written Statement of the NGO “Public Advocacy” within the United Nations 28th Universal Periodic Review on Ukraine.
- Written Statement of the NGO “Public Advocacy” on the violations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church within the United Nations 37-th Regular Session.
- Statement of the NGO “Public Advocacy”