UN Experts Warn Ukraine Over Religious Freedom Violations Amid Crackdown on UOC
Revocation of Met. Onuphry's citizenship and efforts to dissolve Kyiv Metropolis raise alarms over misuse of national security laws to restrict freedom of religion and belief.
GENEVA — On Oct. 1, 2025, the United Nation's Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner released a report sharing that UN experts "expressed serious concern at reports of ongoing persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Ukraine."
“We are concerned that the question of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s alleged ecclesiastical and canonical links with the Moscow Patriarchate – currently under judicial scrutiny – restricts the scope of freedom of worship and religious practice,” the release states. "These elements are an integral part of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion as upheld in international standards.”
The experts, who are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, are:
- George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
- Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
- Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism
- Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association
In particular, concern was expressed at the revoking of citizenship of His Beatitude Met. Onuphry by the Ukrainian government this past July and a recent court hearing heard by the Ukrainian State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) seeking the dissolution of the UOC's Kyiv Metropolis.
According to the UN release, the experts warned that "vague or ideologically based justifications for the dissolution of religious organizations" are "incompatible with the principle of legal certainty and risk criminalizing freedom of thought, and religion or belief." They specifically made reference to baseless, vague accusations based on the concept of "Russkiy Mir" or "pro-Russian affiliation."
Serious concerns were also raised with a law that permits Ukrainian authorities to dissolve religious organizations that maintain affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church, stating that the law equates religious affiliation with threats to national security and thereby "establishes a framework for State control which is incompatible with international human rights standards."
Ongoing judicial proceedings against UOC hierarchs, clergy and human rights defenders such as Metropolitans Arseniy, Pavel, Theodosiy, and Longin, Fr. Yevhen Koshelnik, journalist Dmytro Skvortsov, and lawyer Svitlana Novytska, were also mentioned, with the experts saying that these prosecutions appear to amount to nothing more than collective punishment against UOC members and defenders.
The Ukrainian Government was urged to review the law and cease trials against individuals of the UOC. "We stand ready to continue engaging with the authorities to ensure that human rights are upheld even in times of war," the experts said.
Previously, UOJ reported that Noelle Calhoun, Deputy Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, expressed deep concern about potential restrictions on religious freedoms in Ukraine due to new legislation.
