Department for External Church Relations
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Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol is placed under nightly house arrest
DECR Communication Service, 07/05/2024
On May 7, 2024, a judge of the Solomiansky District Court in Kyiv ruled to place Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol under pre-trial nightly house arrest for a period of two months. Metropolitan Luke also must wear an electronic monitoring device.
According to the text of the ruling published in Metropolitan Luke’s Telegram channel, the prosecutor had petitioned for pre-trial house arrest. The motion was granted by the judge in part. Metropolitan Luke is prohibited from leaving his place of residence in Zaporizhzhia every night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
As the website of the Union of Orthodox Journalists reports, this preventive measure will be in effect for the duration of the pre-trial investigation until July 1, 2024, inclusive. Upon request, the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church must appear before the investigative officer, the prosecutor and the judge. He is not allowed to leave the city of Zaporizhzhia without permission of the investigative officer, the prosecutor or the judge. He surrendered his passport for travelling abroad and must refrain from communicating with witnesses in this criminal case, including subscribers of his Telegram channel called “Лекарь.zp.”
As was reported earlier, on May 1, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) notified Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol of suspicions against him in “provoking and inciting religious hatred in Ukraine.”
During a search, the hierarch was asked why he did not join the OCU. He was also questioned about certain posts in his Telegram channel.
“They want to convict me because of the truth I was speaking – not political or geopolitical, but our church truth. About Christ! The truth that leads to one thing only – salvation! I am responsible for you and I will answer before God. Here I am, O Lord, and here is my flock!” website of the Union of Orthodox Journalists cites the hierarch.
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