Court extends round-the-clock house arrest of metropolitan of Russia-linked church

Metropolitan Pavlo of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (Petro Lebid) is to be held under round-the-clock house arrest for two more months.

Source: Olena Kovalyova, spokesperson for the Kyiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda

Details: The Solomianskyi District Court in Kyiv approved the prosecutor’s request and has extended Lebid’s round-the-clock house arrest until 1 July 2023, obliging him to wear an electronic tag.

Background: 

• On 1 April, Pavlo Lebid was served with a notice of suspicion for "infringing the equal rights of citizens based on their religious beliefs" and "glorifying participants in the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine".
• The Security Service of Ukraine also published recordings of Pavlo's phone conversations and sermons.
• Lebid said in the courtroom that he was "against aggression" but made no mention of Russia as a perpetrator.
• The Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv placed Metropolitan Pavlo under round-the-clock house arrest until 30 May on suspicion of inciting sectarian hatred and condoning Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

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