The State Bluntly Interferes Into Church Affairs, – UOC Representative

Next week, on May 18, the Verkhovna Rada is going to consider draft laws ## 4128 and 4511: MPs intend to “play the religious card”. It was written on his Facebook page by Chairman of the UOC Law Department Archpriest Alexander Bakhov.

“A lot has been said and written about the draft laws. Anyway, it has to be noted that via bill #4128 the state interferes grossly in internal affairs of religious communities and deprives them of the right to define on their own persons affiliating to them,” tells Alexander Bakhov. “Besides, it will be allowed at a legislative level to seize the property of religious communities of any confession using raiding schemes under the pretext of changing jurisdiction. Can you fancy what it will bring about?”

The Archpriest believes draft law #4511 to be discriminatory and so does the VR Ombudsperson who noted in her annual report that bill #4511 contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine, international acts, and the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.

“Yet, as we can see, neither the Law nor the Commissioner for Human Rights is authority to the Ukrainian Parliamentarians – they are a law unto themselves,” concludes rhetorically Alexander Bakhov.