OCU joins the international platform for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners from the Russian Federation
This was announced on August 11 by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The parties discussed the urgent problems that the Crimean diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian religious community face in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Emine Dzhaparova and Metropolitan Klyment paid particular attention to the harassment of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox community by the Russian occupation administration.
The Bishop gave detailed information about the planned and systematic displacement of the community from the occupied Peninsula. He said that the occupation administration persecutes him personally and takes away the property of the community, paralyzing the activities of the Church.
The interlocutors condemned these actionable steps of the occupying state aimed at the actual displacement of Ukrainian identity from Crimea.
As a result of the meeting, the parties developed a joint action plan to support the OCU as a cell of Ukrainianism in the occupied Crimea. It includes, in particular, an international dimension: informing the world community about the facts of persecution of the OCU, encouraging international partners to act in defense of religious freedoms on the occupied peninsula.
Emine Dzhaparova and Bishop Klyment paid special attention to the need to support and release political prisoners. They discussed the interaction between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Orthodox mission of assistance to victims of human rights violations and persons deprived of their liberty, which is headed by Metropolitan Klyment. They agreed to join the Orthodox mission to the platform of international action initiated by the Foreign Minister for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners by Russia.
