Court leaves the abbot of Sviatohirsk Lavra in custody

On December 5, 2024, the Sloviansk City District Court held a regular court hearing in the case of the abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseny. The subject of the hearing was the detention of the UOC hierarch in a pre-trial detention center. The court rejected the petition of the bishop’s lawyers and extended the arrest until February 2025. This was reported by the press service of the Sviatogorsk Lavra.

“The court received 11 statements from people’s deputies of Ukraine from different political forces who guaranteed the proper procedural behavior of the Metropolitan with their personal guarantees. This was personally confirmed in court by one of them, MP Victoria Hryb. The court was also provided with a letter of guarantee from religious organizations of the Dnipropetrovs’k region, which guaranteed that if Metropolitan Arseniy is imposed a preventive measure in the form of house arrest, he will be provided with a place to live. In addition, the lawyers of the Lavra’s abbot petitioned the court to release him from custody and set the amount of bail,” — the Lavra’s press service said.

Despite the arguments of the defense, the court upheld the prosecution’s request. The term of detention of Metropolitan Arseny was extended until February 2, 2025.

As reported, on November 29, 2024, the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy held a regular hearing in one of the criminal proceedings opened against the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv. The court ruled to extend the nightly house arrest of the head of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC for another 60 days.