Vinnitsa, Vinnitsa Province, Ukraine, August 7, 2023
Photo: tulchin-eparchia.org.ua
A hierarch of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and the confiscation of property for various supposed crimes against the state.
His Eminence Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchin was sentenced in a Vinnitsa Court today, reports the Tulchin Diocese.
Meanwhile, His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod, the abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra, was finally released from custody on bail today.
Met. Jonathan, however, will be held under nighttime house arrest until the verdict enters into force. His Eminence has repeatedly denied all charges against him and will file an appeal “against the clearly illegal verdict of the Vinnitsa City Court.”
Met. Jonathan was found guilty of crimes under four articles of the criminal code:
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justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants
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actions aimed at forcibly changing or overthrowing the constitutional order or seizing state power
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encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, distribution of materials calling for changing the borders of the territory and state border of Ukraine
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violation of equal rights of citizens depending on their race, nationality, regional affiliation, religious beliefs, disability, and other grounds
The state persecution of Met. Jonathan has been going on for nearly a year already, beginning with the search of his home last October, during which the Ukrainian Security Service claims to have found “pro-Kremlin” leaflets.
His Eminence even had to undergo open-heart surgery last November, in the midst of the state persecution against him.
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