On March 28, 2025, UOC´s Metropolitan Theodosy (Snigirov) of Cherkasy and Kanev spoke at the UN during the 58th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council under the agenda item of the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Ukraine.

In the presence of the President of the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Jürg Lauber, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, diplomats - representatives of UN member states, representatives of international organizations, - Metropolitan Theodosy stated about another crime committed in Ukraine against the UOC believers, namely the forceful seizure of the UOC Cathedral in Cherkasy, the brutal beating of believers, use of weapons by the seizers, and theft of money and other property. The Cathedral is the registered property of the Cherkasy diocese of the UOC, which is confirmed by documents. 

However, despite the legally obvious fact of the crime, the Cathedral is not only seized but also handed over to representatives of another denomination - the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (a confession created by Patriarch Bartholomew in 2018), who openly perform religious services there.

 UOC´s hierarch called on the UN Special Rapporteurs, the UN High Commissioner, and diplomats of the UN member states to assist in stopping the mass crimes against the UOC believers and suggested that in connection with the beginning of peace negotiations on Ukraine, the restoration of justice in this case and the return of the Cathedral to its rightful owner could be the first steps towards ending the persecution of the UOC in Ukraine and the return of the state to respect for human rights.

During the 58th session of the UN HRC, the human rights organizations “Public Advocacy”, and “For Human Rights” published on the website of the UN documentation center a written statement on the seizure of the Cathedral in Cherkasy, including the attempted murder during these events of Metropolitan Theodosius (Snigirov), who was hit with a heavy object on the head, which caused brutal trauma, the physical harm to many believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the theft of money and other property from the complex of buildings of the Cathedral. The statement pays attention to the facts indicating the involvement of government representatives in the seizure of the Cathedral, in particular, it draws attention to the statements of the mayor of Cherkasy and to the inaction of police structures, which not only did not ensure the detention of the criminals who seized the Cathedral, but on the contrary, opened criminal proceedings against the believers of the UOC, who tried to protect their property.

A detailed description of the case of the forceful seizure of the Cathedral was included in the joint written statement of human rights organizations with consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and distributed among the participants of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council during the debate “Human Rights Situations that require the attention of the UN Human Rights Council”.       

The full text of the statement is available on the UN documentation center website under the number A/HRC/58/NGO/111.                                                                                                           

Human rights work on the case of the seizure of the Cathedral will continue in international courts, UN special procedures, as well as in the course of diplomatic and political dialog at different levels.

Our human rights lawyers will pay special attention to the issue of applying sanctions to Ukrainian government officials and politicians who committed human rights violations in this case and failed to ensure fair return of the property to its rightful owner.

Photos:

Title photo  1 - Metropolitan Theodosius' speech in the UN

Photo 2 - Metropolitan Theodosy after being hit on the head while trying to defend the Cathedral in Cherkassy from illegal seizure

Photo 3 -  Ukrainian Orthodox Church believer beaten during the seizure of the Cathedral in Cherkassy by radicals

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Written statement regarding Cathedral´s case: