Robert Amsterdam: Senator Vance and Young Republicans are the main defenders of the UOC in the U.S

In a conversation with US journalist Tucker Carlson, UOC lawyer Robert Amsterdam said that US Senator JD Vance and the Young Republicans organization are among the few who are speaking out in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the backdrop of increasing persecution. The human rights activist also expressed concern about the silence from the U.S. media and human rights organizations on the issue.

As First Cossack reports, the discussion began with Tucker Carlson’s remark that, contrary to expectations, «the terror and persecution of the UOC is only gaining momentum.» In response to a question about the reaction from the U.S., attorney Robert Amsterdam singled out specific political figures who have not been left out.

«I’ll tell you, J. D. Vance is one of the few who understands this. When he was a senator and nobody, frankly, knew him, he made a statement in the Senate that I thank him every day in my prayers for,» Amsterdam noted. He also mentioned the Young Republicans organization, emphasizing the role of its co-chair Catherine Whiteford, who is an Orthodox Christian and has made efforts to defend the UOC.

The human rights activist expressed shock at the silence of the American media and Christian human rights organizations. According to him, totalitarian states perceive the lack of reaction from the United States and the European Union as approval of their actions. «For the first time this system gave a crack when Zelensky tried to destroy independent anti-corruption bodies, » the lawyer added.

We will remind, earlier representatives of young Republicans in the United States expressed serious concern about the actions of the Ukrainian authorities with regard to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Co-chair of the Federation of Young Republicans in the USA Catherine Whiteford and the New York Club of Young Republicans called for attention to the situation, emphasizing the importance of protecting religious freedom.