Metropolitan Theodosius tells about the details of the court's verdict against him

Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv was sentenced by the Prydniprovsky Court of Cherkasy to the maximum fine and criminal conviction on charges of inciting religious hatred against the OCU. The bishop himself emphasized that the key aspect of the verdict is the fact of a criminal record, which, in his opinion, could worsen his position in subsequent court proceedings.

In a commentary for the UOJ, Metropolitan Theodosius clarified the details of the guilty verdict issued on the lawsuit filed by the OCU cleric Zasansky. According to the hierarch, he was sentenced to the maximum fine provided for in Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which is 500 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens, and was also ordered to compensate for the material costs of the examinations.

However, as the bishop emphasizes, it is not the financial aspect that is important. «The main thing here is the fact of a criminal record. Now all my other courts will be obliged to toughen their decisions regarding me as a repeat offender. This was the task of the first court, and it coped with it,» said Metropolitan Theodosius, emphasizing the long-term consequences of the verdict.

Earlier, we reported that the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy rejected the accusations of the regional prosecutor’s office of «Ukrainophobia» and «negative attitude towards the population of Ukraine», which the prosecution put forward as arguments for tightening the preventive measure against the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv. The judge concluded that the prosecutor had failed to substantiate his accusations with facts.