The governor of the Lavra goes on trial for “subversive activities”
In Ukraine, the so-called investigation has been completed and the case of the vicar of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Paul, has been submitted to court.
The SBU press service reported this, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The security service completed the investigation and sent to court an indictment against the rector of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Pavel (Peter Lebed), involved in subversive activities against Ukraine,” the statement said.
The Metropolitan is accused under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
Part 2 Art. 161 (violation of the equality of citizens depending on their religious beliefs, committed repeatedly by an official);
Part 3 Art. 436-2 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, committed by an official repeatedly).
Under these articles, the priest faces up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.
“As the investigation established, the Metropolitan has repeatedly publicly denied the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state. He also called Russian armed aggression against Ukraine a “civil conflict” that has been going on since 2014. A forensic linguistic examination initiated by the SBU confirmed the facts of the cleric’s criminal actions,” the SBU added.
Lavra's viceroy faces trial for "subversive activity "