“We will seek to hold them accountable": Robert Amsterdam criticized the adoption of the law on the ban of the UOC

The head of the international human rights company Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Robert Amsterdam, who represents the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has said that the MPs and officials who initiated the legal ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will bear international responsibility. The lawyer called August 20 “a dark chapter in the history of human rights in Ukraine.” This is reported by savetheuoc.com.

“Since last October, we have been warning Ukraine’s allies about this egregious law that seeks to collectively punish an entire religious denomination in violation of every known international law, and today we saw the majority of the Verkhovna Rada succumb to nationalist pressure and embark on a path of lawlessness. We will continue to fight to protect our client and his parishioners from these violations of their rights and will seek to hold those who sponsored this reprehensible law on religious cleansing accountable on all available international legal platforms,” — said the UOC lawyer.

Amsterdam added that passing such a law, at a time when Ukraine is in dire need of unity, is completely destructive.

“The Ukrainian government’s efforts to suppress the UOC are sowing schism at a time when the country desperately needs unity. As the Anglican Church noted, “Bill 8371 threatens Ukraine’s social cohesion at a time when it needs a united societal response to Russian aggression. It encourages ethno-religious nationalism, which will be harmful to Ukraine’s long-term western trajectory,” — the human rights activist said.

We shall remind you that Ukrainian MP of the Golos party Oleksandra Ustinova said that supporters of the adoption of the bill No 8371 on banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Verkhovna Rada were allegedly being blackmailed by the fact that their US visas would be taken away. The MP is convinced that this is a myth and, in fact, the USA will not do this.