A lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has initiated an investigation into hate speech broadcast on KyivFM

Archpriest Nikita Chekman, a lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), filed official complaints with law enforcement agencies regarding public insults and the incitement of interreligious hostility. The complaint was prompted by a program broadcast on KyivFM radio, during which discriminatory remarks were made against believers, children, and members of the legal community.

Human rights activist saw the remarks made by journalist Butkevych and activist Marina Koval as signs of a gross violation of professional ethics. Accusations were made on the air against lawyers representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), who were publicly labeled “defenders of traitors.” Nikita Chekman emphasized that such rhetoric creates a false impression among the audience that lawyers are involved in illegal activities solely because they provide professional assistance to believers.

In his statements sent to the National Police of Ukraine, Nikita Chekman demanded an investigation into whether the elements of a crime under the article on the intentional incitement of religious and linguistic hatred had been met. In addition, the complaints were sent to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Children’s Ombudsman, and the Commission on Journalistic Ethics. The human rights activist insists on receiving a public apology from the radio station’s editorial staff and the participants in the discussion to all groups of people who were subjected to insults.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv upheld a complaint filed by Nikita Chekman, a lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), ordering law enforcement agencies to launch a pretrial investigation into the actions of right-wing radical and extremist David Pshenichny, who actively opposes the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.