Kiev, July 3, 2023
suspilne.media
On June 30, a district court in Kiev extended the round-the-clock measure of restraint for His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod, the abbot of the Holy Dormition Kiev Caves Lavra, for the second time.
The abbot was initially sentenced to house arrest for two months in early April. On May 29, the restraint was extended until July 1, and on Friday, it was extended for another two months, reports Suspilne.
His Eminence must wear an ankle bracelet throughout the period of house arrest. His lawyer, Archpriest Nikita Chekman, appealed to the court to reduce the measure to nighttime house arrest, but the court refused.
As is the case with several other hierarchs, the authorities accuse Met. Pavel of inciting religious enmity and justifying the war, though they have yet to supply evidence.
Fr. Nikita also notes that the basis for the judge’s decision to extends Met. Pavel’s house arrest was not even made known. “Once we get the full text, we’ll see what arguments the investigating judge used, and then we will form our legal position for further appeal,” he said.
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