Draft law on banning religious organizations associated with Russian Orthodox Church passed at 1st reading

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed at first reading the government bill on banning the activities of religious organizations associated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Ukraine.

As MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak posted on Telegram, 267 parliamentarians supported the adoption of the draft law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine" (No. 8371) at first reading.

The document makes impossible the activities of religious organizations that are affiliated with the centers of influence of a religious structure, the management center of which is located in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine.

According to the draft law, the activities of the relevant religious organizations can be terminated in court based on an administrative lawsuit filed by either the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience or a prosecutor.

It is assumed that the Service should conduct religious examinations to identify canonical and organizational subordination with the centers of influence of the religious organization located in the territory of the aggressor state. Based on the results of the religious examination, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience will issue prescriptions for the elimination of violations within a month from the date of their issuance. If religious organizations do not comply with the received prescriptions within the established terms, the Service will have the right to file an administrative lawsuit to court to terminate the activities of the corresponding organizations.

In January 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers registered in the Verkhovna Rada draft law No. 8371 on the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine, according to which the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) may be terminated. The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy recommended the Parliament to adopt this document at first reading.