UOC lawyers file complaint against MP Huz for inciting religious hatred
Lawyers are demanding a criminal investigation into statements made by MP Ihor Huz concerning the Church and its faithful.
A team of attorneys acting in the interests of the St. Nicholas Miletsky Monastery of the UOC has filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine against Member of Parliament Ihor Huz. The news was announced by Archpriest Mykyta Chekman on his Telegram channel.
As noted, the complaint was submitted pursuant to Article 214 of Ukraine’s Criminal Procedure Code. The document states that the MP’s public remarks may contain elements of a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – incitement of religious hatred committed by a public official.
Specifically, the complaint refers to calls to stop the use of religious buildings, as well as rhetoric about “cleansing” the region of the Church. The filing emphasizes that in wartime conditions such statements “split society, insult millions of believers, and undermine the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.”
The lawyers are demanding that the information be entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, that an inquiry be opened, and that a legal assessment be given to the actions of the lawmaker. The UOC also called on the faithful to support the effort with prayer and by spreading information, stressing that “all religions are equal before the state, and any opposition between them leads to conflict.”
As the UOJ previously reported, MP Huz had called for the “cleansing” of Volyn from UOC communities.
