Lawyer: Only law can restrict the right to worship

Lawyer Lesia Alexandridi. Photo: screenshot of the video from the YouTube channel "1Kozak"

The right to worship can be limited only by law, not by an order or a legislator's decree. The lawyer Lesia Alexandridi said this on air of 1Kozak, commenting on Cabinet Decision No. 211 “On preventing the spread of acute respiratory illness COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus” in Ukraine, clause 7 of which prohibits mass religious events.

“Surely, every clergyman wondered what ‘mass religious events’ are and why, in the practical application of the Cabinet’s decrees, divine services are classified as such,” Alexandridi noted.

The expert suggested referring to the normative definition of “mass religious events”.

"There is a ‘Procedure for organizing and conducting non-governmental mass events of a religious, cultural, educational, sports, spectacular and other nature in the city of Kiev’, which defines the procedure for holding and organizing mass events in the city. We read the document itself: ‘an application for holding a mass event is submitted by the organizer of the mass event to the executive body of the Kiev City Council no later than 45 working days before the planned date for the mass event’. Obviously, this concept – mass religious events – has nothing to do with worship,” she emphasized.

Alexandridi recalled that worship, according to Art. 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, is performed unhindered.

“The exercise of this right may be limited only by law – neither by a decree nor by an order of the Cabinet of Ministers, nor by any other legislator’s motives. Only by law,” she explained, emphasizing that there is no legal prohibition on worship in Ukraine.

As reported by the UOJ, the Legal Department of the UOC commented on the quarantine tightening.

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