Appeals court keeps Metropolitan Arseniy, vicar of Sviatogorsk Lavra, in custody

The Dniprovsk Court of Appeal in Kryvyi Rih has upheld the decision to extend the preventive measure for the vicar of the Svyatogorsk Assumption Lavra, Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko), in the form of detention. Thus, the archpastor will continue to be in pre-trial detention until at least March 22.

According to the press service of the Svyatogorsk Lavra, the meeting of the court of appeal was held on February 12 in Krivoy Rog. The panel of judges rejected the complaints of the defense against the ruling of the Chechelovsky district court of Dnipro on January 22, by which the period of detention of Metropolitan Arseny was extended for 60 days.

Metropolitan Arseniy took part in the session via videoconference. The believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church came to the courtroom in support of the archpastor.

The Metropolitan’s lawyers asked to change the measure of restraint to a non-custodial measure, arguing that there were no sufficient grounds for the further stay of the Metropolitan in the pre-trial detention center. However, the arguments of the defense did not convince the court, and the appeals were left without satisfaction, and the decision of the court of first instance — without changes.

The next session of the Chechelovsky district court on the case of Metropolitan Arseny is scheduled for February 25 at 12:00.

Sviatogorsk Lavra calls on all believers to intensify prayers for the imprisoned archpastor and all the brethren of the monastery, and also asks for support in further legal defense of the vicar.

Recall, earlier we reported that the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published an open appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky with a call to immediately release from custody the vicar of Sviatogorsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko). The reason for the appeal was the critical health condition of the hierarch, who needs an urgent operation, and his repeated detention immediately after he posted bail.