Korets, Ukraine, July 7, 2021
The seized Holy Protection Church. Photo: spzh.news
An activist of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” has been sentenced and fined for beating an Orthodox Christian man during the violent seizure of a church in May 2019.
The attack occurred during the forcible seizure of the Holy Protection Church in the village of Mnishin, Rivne Province in May 2019. The schismatic Viktor Kalyuzhny seriously injured the Orthodox layman Viktor Galayzuk, who had to be treated for several weeks in the maxillofacial ward of the Rivne Provincial Hospital, reports Rivne. Voice of the Church.
After a 2-year ordeal involving 10 court hearings, missing testimony, and erased evidence, the Korets District Court finally sentenced Kalyuzhny to one year of suspended imprisonment and a $550 (15,000 hryvnia) fine.
“It was Sunday, the morning began not with a Divine service, but with a fight,” said the victim’s daughter.
“My father was just standing near the church house when a fellow villager came to him and struck him with his fist. By the evening, my father’s face was covered with bruises, swollen, and he couldn’t even swallow saliva. We decided to take him to the hospital immediately,” she added.
Galazyuk’s injuries were recorded at the hospital and the police were informed, though the victim’s family says the investigation was deliberately delayed, and the testimony of the canonical rector disappeared, as did the disk with video of the incident.
Furthermore, the family plans to appeal the sentence, as 15,000 hryvnia doesn’t cover Galazyuk’s costs for treatment and legal aid.
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