The Suvorovskyi District Court in southern Ukrainian Kherson on 10 December 2002 ruled that the local community of Evangelical Christians of the Full Gospel, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ, should stop its activity. This was done after the Kherson regional state administration filed a lawsuit against this church for conducting public services without prior consent of the municipal authorities.
According to Ukrainian legislation, open religious services in public places can be held only with permission from the local administrative bodies. “Such events, however, were repeatedly held in June and July 2002 [by the Church of Jesus Christ] without permission from and agreement with the local authorities,” reads the court ruling. In addition, the chief psychiatrist of the Department of Health at the Kherson regional administration and other witnesses testified that religious rituals of this church caused some members of the community psychological disorders and damaged their health. A criminal case against the Kherson community of the Church of Jesus Christ has also been started. Source: press service of “Dialogue,” the All-Ukrainian Center of Religious Security and Assistance to Victims of Destructive Sects