Police report filed against activists who disrupted the standing near Lavra

Activist of the OCU “mage Belial” near the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Photo: screenshot of the video of the Telegram channel “Myriany”

On September 13, 2023, lawyers wrote a statement to the police against OCU activists who insulted believers and the clergy of the UOC, as well as their religious views at a prayer standing near the Lavra. The Lavra’s lawyer, Archpriest Nikita Chekman, wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

He said that the activists committed illegal actions under the leadership of the “mage Belial,” who was spotted at protests near the sanctity on multiple occasions.

According to the lawyer, these activists not only insulted believers but also used loudspeakers to broadcast calls that defamed religious convictions into the ears of participants in the standing.

"At present, the Pechersk Regional Police Department in Kyiv is expected to provide information to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Article 214 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine for signs of a criminal offense provided for in Part 1 of Article 180 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of a religious rite)," he wrote.

The penalty under the article provides for imprisonment for up to two years.

As the UOJ reported, a UOC believer said that the police allow hooligans to commit outrages at the Lavra with the consent of the authorities.

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