Supreme Court defends Ivano-Frankivsk faithful from the mayor’s claims

The highest judicial body of the Ukrainian judicial system ruled in favor of the parishioners of the Holy Transfiguration Church of the UOC of Ivano-Frankivsk, reports the website of the diocese. The court found the claims of officials to believers unfounded.

Since November 2016, the executive committee of the City Council of Ivano-Frankivsk and personally the mayor of the city Ruslan Matsynkiv haven been forcing the UOC community to leave the church.

Believers have appealed to various instances and repeatedly written letters, including to the President and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, and to the OSCE.

The Supreme Economic Court of Ukraine on February 6, 2017 ruled in favor of the religious community of the UOC. But the officials of Ivano-Frankivsk were not satisfied with the decision of the court and filed an application in the Supreme Court of Ukraine to review the decision.

Having considered this application, the highest judicial body of Ukraine came to the conclusion that it was groundless, and by the decision of the panel of judges of the Economic Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine on March 17, 2017 denied admission of case No. 909 / 932/15 to the production by the Supreme Court of Ukraine.