The director of the Department of Religious and Ethnic Affairs of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Volodymyr Yushkevych March 18 issued a statement regarding the persecution of clerics in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The document calls “to stop the practice of terror and to ensure respect for rights and liberties.”
The director of the Department for Religious and Ethnic Affairs asks international organizations and the public to help protect the clerics and faithful from persecution.
“Recently, in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea cases of persecution of the clerics of various denominations have been documented, there has been an unprecedented violation of rights in the field of freedom of conscience and religion, in guaranteeing the inviolability of the person.
“According to the media, gangs of separatists together with Russian occupation forces are trying to intimidate the citizens of Ukraine in Crimea, belittle their honor and dignity. Violence is being committed against religious people, who have always called for interfaith peace and harmony in autonomy.
“We demand there be a stop to the practice of terror and for rights and liberties to be respected. We call on international organizations and the public to help protect the clergy and faithful from persecution.
“Crimea was and should remain a region where citizens of many faiths and nationalities live and work together peacefully, tolerate and respect each other. We believe that no aggressor can destroy the love and harmony in the land,” reads Volodymyr Yushkevych’s statement, which was published on the site of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.