Head of UOC Legal Department: Bill №4511 – Return to Soviet times

Bill #4511 allows for government interference in the activities of religious organizations and violates the right to freedom of personal philosophy and religion (Article 35 of the Constitution) and the principle of equality of religious organizations. Such mechanisms resemble the annoying practice of the Soviet era in the relations with the Church, says the head of the Legal Department of the UOC Archpriest Alexander Bakhov to the UOJ correspondent.

"These violations are serious and are contrary not only to the Constitution, but also to the European Convention on Human Rights. It should be noted that the content and scope of existing rights and freedoms shall not be diminished in the adoption of new laws or in the amendment of laws that are in force (Article 22 of the Constitution of Ukraine)," said the lawyer.

He added that in Article 3 of the bill the existence of an obligation to enter into appropriate agreements with respect to the special status for certain religious organizations is discriminatory.

According to Bakhov, Article 5 of the bill provides that the appointment of the central and regional leadership of religious organizations is carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Culture. "It is a gross interference in the activities of religious organizations from the public authorities", said the head of the UOC Legal Department.

We recall that earlier a full text of the bill and its most controversial provisions, legitimizing the intervention of the state in the affairs of unwanted confessions, have been placed on the UOJ website.

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