of these organisations. The Law does not clarify whether these violations should be significant or harmful to other or society. This potentially allows almost unlimited room for arbitrary state actions against UOC communities that decide not to leave the UOC after the UOC is, under the Law’s questionable criteria, determined to be affiliated with

as affiliated with the ROC – even if the UOC denies this claimed ROC affiliation and states that it is an autocephalous church Third, the requirement for UOC clergy to publicly in writing decline any ROC appointments or membership, and “make all necessary acts, prepare all necessary notifications and other documents for termination of their app

While these are significant numbers, it is still difficult to argue that no other way exists to address this issue other than to liquidate the whole Church of 10,000 clerics Ukraine’s existing criminal and other public law already allows for the prosecution of any individual and entity involved in illegal activities, such as collaboration with th

Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) prohibits the limitation of religious freedom based on national security. Religious organisations that constitute a threat to national security (for example, institutional collaboration with the Russian army) can be banned based on ICCPR Article 22 (“Freedom of associa

The Law bans the Russian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate (ROC) for its justification and proactive support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Law identifies the ROC as a part of the Russian state and an accomplice, a partner in the war crimes committed by the Russian regime. It also establishes a legal mechanism to liquidate Ukrainian r