Kiev, September 5, 2025
Seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs have sent an official communication to the Ukrainian government expressing concern about violations of the rights of Ukrainian Orthodox Church believers, journalists, and lawyers.
The communication, dated May 14, was issued by UN experts on democratic international order, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, judicial independence, minority issues, freedom of religion, and human rights in counter-terrorism contexts.
The UN experts highlighted concerns about Ukraine’s August 2024 law “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations’ Activities,” which bans religious organizations with alleged ties to countries designated as “aggressor states.” While the law technically targets organizations centered in Russia, Ukrainian politicians have openly stated their intention to ban the Kiev-centered Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The communication details specific cases of arrested clergy, including Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy, who was beaten during the seizure of St. Michael’s Cathedral in October 2024; Metropolitan Pavel, abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra, under house arrest; Metropolitan Arseny of Svyatogorsk Lavra, detained since April 2024; Metropolitan Longin, known for adopting over 500 orphans; and Father Evgeny Koshelnik, sentenced to five years in prison for using the Old Slavonic liturgical language.
The rapporteurs reported forced seizures of church properties, including St. Michael’s Cathedral in Cherkasy and Eletsky Monastery in Chernigov, often with authorities failing to intervene or actively participating. They noted that UOC representatives have been denied opportunities to challenge these expropriations through fair judicial processes.
The UN experts expressed concern that criminal charges against clergy appear based on “peaceful religious speech or canonical ties” rather than genuine security threats. They noted the use of vague concepts like “Russian World ideology” to justify prosecutions based solely on historical religious affiliations or theological positions.
The communication also addressed the targeting of journalists and human rights defenders documenting UOC-related issues, including journalist Dmitro Skvortsov, detained for 23 months on treason charges, and lawyer Svetlana Novitska, arrested for defending UOC clergy and speaking at international forums.
In their questions to Ukraine, the UN rapporteurs requested explanations of how restrictions on the UOC comply with international law requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality. They emphasized that freedom of religion remains non-derogable even during armed conflict and that “national security” cannot be used as grounds to restrict religious freedom under international law.
The UN has previously raised concerns about UOC persecution. A UN report covering September to November 2024 specifically addressed the vagueness of the law banning the UOC and noted violent church seizures occurring across the country.
The Ukrainian government has 60 days to respond to the communication, after which both the letter and any response will be made public on the UN communications reporting website.
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