RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Ukrainian president takes action against pro-Moscow court decisions

ZELENSKY TO REDUCE AUTHORITY OF COURT THAT SUSPENDED RENAMING OF U.P.Ts.

by Elena Yufereva

Union of Orthodox Journalists, 13 February 2021

 

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced the trimming of the authority of the District Administrative Court of Kiev, and he is sending to the Verkhovna Rada three draft laws. He described this for journalists in the Borispol airport, TSN reports.

 

Vladimir Zelensky said that "everybody is displeased with some steps taken by judges of the District Administrative Court."

 

"I have already signed the submission of the draft law. Within the framework of current legislation, we will trim the powers through which several judges of the court were able to do unfair and illegal things for which the public is displeased with the actions of judges of this court," he noted.

 

Vladimir Zelensky added that three draft laws concerning the judicial branch of the government will be published on 15 February.

 

We recall that on 11 February 2021, the District Administrative Court of Kiev annulled the renaming of streets in honor of Ukrainian nationalists Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich.

 

In April 2019, the district court halted the renaming of the UPTs [Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate].

 

On 19 September 2019, this same court adopted a decision in favor of Bishop Gedeon and ordered the return of his citizenship.

 

In 2018, the district court halted the consideration of a case in the Desiatin court.

 

As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported previously, the Desiatin monastery of Kiev is again threatened with demolition. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 February 2021)

 

DESIATIN MONASTERY OF KIEV AGAIN THREATENED WITH DEMOLITION

by Elena Yufereva

Union of Orthodox Journalists, 13 February 2021

 

Consideration of the case concerning the demolition of the Desiatin monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and cancellation of the state registration of the right of its ownership has been revived in a court of Kiev, and the corresponding document of 8 February has been posted in the Uniform State Register of Judicial Decisions.

 

The lawsuit states that the National Museum of the History of Ukraine requests the Economic Court to remove the obstacles by requiring the religious community of the Desiatin church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God in the Shevchenko district of the city of Kiev to release the "arbitrarily occupied parcel of land of 133.2 square meters by demolishing at its own expense the arbitrarily built real estate object, and to restore at its own expense the land to its former condition," and also to cancel item 1788799, the state registration of the right of ownership of the real estate.

 

The Economic Court of Kiev ordered a judicial technical land expert analysis, which should establish whether the church actually is located on the territory of the museum.

 

We recall that in 2018, the head of the pagan society "Fern Blossom," Viacheslav Tolpyga, created a petition on the website of the city government demanding the demolition of the Desiatin monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God. Radicals staged an assault on the Desiatin monastery and tried to set fire to it. Believers of the UPTsMP defended the monastery for ten hours. The disputes over the Desiatin monastery have continued to the present. The District Court of Kiev has repeatedly postponed the hearing of the case of the Desiatin monastery; on 8 February the Economic Court resumed proceedings in the case. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 February 2021)


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