Human rights organization “The center of civil Liberties” and “International Partnership for Human Rights” conducted a presentation “When God becomes a weapon” for representatives of foreign embassies. The presentation was devoted to religious persecution of people on occupied territories. Goal of the report was to present to world public information about systematical violations of people’s right for freedom of religion on the territory of “DNR” and “LNR”.

“Our organization has been registering human rights’ violation in the military conflict on Donbass from the very start. We faced many violations of human rights there, but we hadn’t noticed religious persecutions until we talked to victims personally, — Svetlana Zachko — a worker of “ThecenterofcivilLiberties” told us. – That is why I will present several victims of this arbitrary rule today during our meeting – priests, who were in separatists’ captivity”.

According to her words, situation with violations of rights of religious people could have been worsened by the fact, that at the beginning of religious conflict in Donbass Churches’ Council of Ukraine made a statement, in which it supported territorial integrity of our country. It could have displeased separatists.

At the beginning of the meeting representatives of foreign embassies got information about the level of religious freedoms in Donbass before the conflict. Report’s authors underlined that Ukrainian population is traditionally very tolerant towards religions and there were almost no interreligious conflicts in Donbass. 67 percent of Ukrainians call themselves religious, 14 percent – cannot decide on their confessional belonging.

Traditionally, the most influential religious power in the Donetsk region is Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate (762 organizations). There are a lot of Protestant churches in Eastern Ukraine (601 organizations in the Donetsk region). Protestants as the most widespread religious power had been subjected to main persecutions.

Armed advocates of the “Russian world” in Donbass are traditionally followers of the Orthodoxy. On their opinion, representatives of all other religions are hostile and enthetic without a right for existence. Incompatibility of the idea of “Russian world” with multi-confessionality and religious freedom has revealed itself since first months of terrorists’ power in Donbass – looting of churches and temples of different religions, seizure of buildings for military purposes, persecution of clergy.

Listing terrorists groups, which persecuted people because of their religion, report’s authors paid much attention to Cossacks of the “Great Don forces” and “Russian Orthodox Army” of Igor Girkin. The last one is the most active and uncompromising. For example, in Slavyansk, which was controlled by the “ROA” from April till June 2014, 4 members of the Evangelist Church of Transfiguration were kidnapped and murdered.

Representatives of 60 different religious organizations got together to conduct a “Prayerful marathon”. They installed a tent at the center of the city, where representatives of different religious organizations prayed for the peace and unity in Ukraine all day long. The only one big religious organization of the Donetsk region, which didn’t join that activity – was UOC of MP.

From the very beginning the marathon’s participants faced aggression from the side of pro-Russian activists of Donetsk. The first serious conflict happened on May, when representatives of Donetsk criminal groups tore the “marathon” tent with all flags. The head of one Protestants’ communities – pastor Sergey Cosyak tried to negotiate with separatists. After all, he was detained, brutally beaten and kicked out.

Nevertheless, Donetsk religious people installed the tent again and prolonged the “marathon”. Next time the tent was attacked in May. That time separatists took as prisoners 14 priests-organizers. Terrorists interrogated, beat and tortured those people.

Separate attention should be paid to pastor Aleksandr Hromchenko’ story, who was kidnapped by terrorists, taken to Makeevka, where he was beaten and tortured.

Another priest from Donetsk – father Tihon (UGCC) was beaten by fighters, who also didn’t let him take his meds (he has diabetes).

There were many such examples.

The clergy was subjected also to moral pressure, separatists made up very absurd accusations and beat confessions out of them.

Resuming, authors noted that the most part of Protestant churches’ representatives had to leave the territory controlled by fighters. Those, who stayed, perform religious rites secretly, gathering at home.

Some priests and congregations, who stayed on the occupied territory, managed to reach some agreements with occupation authorities. They were allowed to perform their rites on condition that they will not attract attention. Report’s authors underlined, that such circumstances also cannot be defined as realization of the freedom of faith.

Aleksey Chernov for the informator.lg.ua