Ukrainian Interchurch Council accused the National Council of discrimination against Christians for criticizing LGBT ideology

The Ukrainian Interchurch Council (UIC) addressed an official letter to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Head of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, accusing the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of systematic discrimination and pressure on Christian organizations. The reason was the thousands of dollars in fines imposed on the Christian movement “All Together!” for publications criticizing LGBT ideology. The UMC considers these actions a direct threat to freedom of speech and religion in the country.

According to an official statement published on the website of the UMC, the National Council issued four decisions against the vsirazom.ua website during 2024-2025. In particular, a fine of 40 thousand hryvnias was imposed for the article “More and more printing houses in Ukraine refuse to print lgbt products”. Another fine of 88,000 hryvnias was imposed for the article “LGBT flags are more important than ramps: between barrier-free and profanation”, which cited the opinion of a wounded veteran about the inappropriateness of mixing the problems of people with disabilities and promoting LGBT issues.

The appeal quotes excerpts from the decisions of the National Council, which, according to the UMC, confirm the bias towards Christian values. Thus, the regulator allegedly pointed out that “one of the main arguments for the negative attitude towards LGBTIQ+…. is adherence to traditional Christian values”. In addition, the decision notes that “unambiguous support in the media for values based on the authority of traditional or Christian values…. can have a real negative impact on consumers of information”.

The Ukrainian Interchurch Council insists that their position on LGBT ideology is an integral part of religious beliefs based on Holy Scripture. The authors of the appeal refer to Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine on freedom of worldview and religion, as well as the laws “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” and “On Principles of Prevention and Counteraction to Discrimination”. They regard the actions of the National Council as direct discrimination and harassment on the basis of religious beliefs, which is prohibited by law.

Religious activists are particularly concerned about the fact that the new law “On Media” extends the powers of the National Council to all websites in Ukraine, including official resources of churches. This, in their opinion, creates a risk of sanctions for preaching Christian doctrine. In this regard, the UMC asks the government to guarantee the protection of freedom of speech and religion, to take measures of presidential and parliamentary response, as well as to take into account the “destructive activity” of the current composition of the National Council when forming a new one.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that the Cabinet of Ministers appointed Ivan Verbitskyy to the post of deputy culture minister. He will be responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and museums. The appointment attracted public attention due to the fact that Verbitsky is an open homosexual and LGBT activist.