Iryna Verihina, a representative of the Commissioner for the Observance of the Rights of Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, said that as a result of the repressive policy of the invaders, only five out of 49 religious organizations of the OCU remained in Crimea, and only four out of 22 clergymen.
Verihina said this during a meeting with representatives of the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to pace and foreign parliamentarians, the press service of the Ombudsman's Office informs. This is reported by Ukrinform.
“As a result of the repressive policy of the occupier, five out of 49 religious organizations of the OCU remained, and only four out of 22 clergymen. Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova responded to the criminal actions of the aggressor and called on the international community to strengthen sanctions against the occupying country in order to prevent the destruction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on the peninsula and immediately stop the persecution of believers," Verihina said.
9 of the European Convention on human rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the Russian-controlled so-called Bilohirsk District Court in the temporarily occupied Crimea illegally sentenced Archimandrite Damian, rector of the monastery of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica of the Crimean Diocese of the OCU to a fine of 15 thousand rubles for conducting service at home.
During the meeting, the participants also discussed the violation of the rights of residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, in particular - forced passport registration, persecution for political and religious reasons, large-scale militarization of the peninsula, violation of children's rights, the critical situation in the medical sphere, which turned out to be untenable in the fight against Covid-19, harassment of journalists, the ban on the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and harassment of the OCU.
During the meeting, the participants noted that the occupier is pursuing a powerful information policy on the peninsula aimed at discrediting Ukraine and the international community, which does not recognize the temporary occupation and condemns the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation.
The Ombudsman's Office also recalled that on Monday a historic event took place - the Crimean platform summit, whose participants recorded non-recognition of the illegal occupation of Crimea by Russia.
"The participants of the meeting once again condemned the policy of the occupation authorities and stressed the need to take all possible measures to protect the rights of residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol,” the Ombudsman's Office noted.
As reported, on May 26, Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine informed that at the beginning of the occupation, 49 Ukrainian Orthodox religious organizations operated on the territory of the arc, and now there are only six of them left.