The Platform for Life and Peace parliamentary group has expelled MP Yuriy Zahorodniy from its membership because of his vote to ban the Russian church in Ukraine. This was announced by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko.
“MP Yuriy Zavhorodnyi has just been expelled from the Opposition Platform for Life and Peace because he voted to ban the Russian Orthodox Church,” Goncharenko wrote.
What is known about Yuriy Zavgorodnyi
Born on 7 May 1959 in the Kyiv region. In 1986, he graduated from the Faculty of History of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences.
He worked as a teacher at Hrebinkivska Secondary School (1986-1989), director of the Research Secondary School (1989-1995), consultant-inspector at the Presidential Administration (1995-2000, with breaks), and head of the State Committee for Consumer Protection. From 2002 to January 2005, he was the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration (Viktor Medvedchuk).
In 2019, he was elected as a member of the 9th convocation of the Parliament of Ukraine from the Opposition Platform – For Life party, number 19 on the list as a member of the party. Member of the faction of the same name. Member of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Deputy Ethics and Organisation of Work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
It should be noted that on 20 August, the Verkhovna Rada banned the activities of religious organisations in Ukraine that have ties with the Russian Federation. The decision was made without discussion. Communities of the UOC-MP will have 9 months to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
The majority of votes in favour came from the Servants of the People. The Platform for Life and Peace faction received the most votes against. In total, 265 MPs supported the decision.
The law will come into force 30 days after its publication. But except for one clause – according to it, the UOC-MP communities will have nine months to break ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Thus, the law establishes
- restrictions on religious organisations to have ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine;
- defines what exactly is meant by such ties;
- provides a time limit within which Ukrainian organisations must get rid of these ties;
- defines the procedure for state supervision over compliance with this requirement;
- gives state authorities the authority to interact with religious organisations that have been unable or unwilling to comply with the law.
On 23 July, MPs blocked the rostrum in the Verkhovna Rada , demanding consideration of a bill to completely ban the UOC-MP in Ukraine. Parliamentary sessions scheduled for next week were cancelled.
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience calls on the VerkhovnaRada to eliminate legislative spam and other nonsense in the bill banning the activities of religious organisations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine before the second reading.
Banning the UOC-MP
on 19 October 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading a bill to ban the UOC-MP. At that time, 267 MPs voted in favour. The bill in question is No. 8371 on the prohibition of religious organisations associated with Russia.
It provides for the prevention of the activities of religious organisations in Ukraine that are managed from the aggressor country. The amendments give the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience additional powers:
- ensuring the implementation of the state policy on religions and the church by conducting religious studies expertise of religious organisations to identify subordination in canonical and organisational matters with the centres of influence of a religious organisation (association) whose governing centre (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine
- issuing orders to eliminate violations identified as a result of a religious examination within one month from the date of issuance of such an order
- filing a lawsuit with the court to terminate the activities of a religious organisation in case of its failure to comply with the orders to eliminate violations identified as a result of religious expertise.