DESS rep: There is a risk that law on UOC ban will become dead

A thousands-strong procession of the UOC on the day of celebrating the 1033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. Photo: UOC

Vyacheslav Horshkov, head of the Department of Cooperation with Religious Communities at the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), expressed doubt in an interview with the Apostrophe about the practical application of bill No. 8371, which proposes a de facto ban on the UOC.

"It (the law banning the UOC) might look good in terms of declarations, but how will it be implemented?" the official adds.

Horshkov stated that in addition to some provisions of the draft law being in violation of international law that Ukraine has signed, they also do not align with the country's current legislation.

"It should be understood that religious communities can exist without registration, without informing local or state authorities about their existence," he noted.

In his opinion, it is unclear how this law will be enforced. "Will it turn into a dead law?" the DESS representative wondered.

As reported by the UOJ, DESS official Horshkov stated that Bill No 8371 contradicts international obligations.

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