Lawyer reports threats against UOC defenders in court

UOC lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman. Photo: Chekman's Facebook

UOC lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman reported systematic provocations and threats of physical violence against defenders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to the lawyer, an organized group of individuals carrying out an order to discredit UOC lawyers has become more active. In particular, during yesterday's court hearing, provocateurs behaved aggressively and attempted to inflict bodily harm on the lawyers. The attackers made open threats of physical violence at the next court hearing.

"Certain individuals are openly threatening lawyers and announcing preparations for a 'warm welcome' at the next hearing, said Archpriest Nikita Chekman. "We regard these statements as a threat of physical violence, an attempt to intimidate lawyers, and unlawful interference with professional activities."

The lawyer called inadmissible the public discrediting, unsubstantiated accusations of collaboration with the aggressor state, provocative attempts to hand over dubious documents, and physical pressure. The lawyer emphasized that professional duties are performed strictly in accordance with the law, regardless of opponents' attitudes toward the legal position or the client's identity.

"Lawyers perform their professional duties in accordance with the law, stressed Archpriest Nikita Chekman. "Regardless of whether anyone likes the lawyer's legal position or the identity of their client, the professional rights and guarantees of legal practice require unconditional observance."

The UOC defenders are preparing official appeals to law enforcement agencies and to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The lawyers will submit statements to the international human rights community and called on bar self-governing bodies to provide a legal assessment of the pressure on lawyers.

"We call on bar self-governing bodies and the entire professional community to decisively counter any unlawful pressure on lawyers. Such actions are absolutely unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law," the lawyer concluded.

Previously, the UOJ reported that radicals decided to "play their part" in the case against the Kyiv Metropolis.

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