Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church protest against “oppression by officials”

Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church sent an appeal to the Slavic Legal Center, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, the International Human Rights Center, the Council under the President of the Russian Federation to promote the development of civil society institutions and human rights, as well as a number of other organizations. In this appeal, they protest against the violation of the rights of the ROAC, as well as against "direct oppression by officials of various levels, behind whose actions the hand of the Moscow Patriarchate is always guessed."

The appeal emphasizes that representatives of the ROAC feel "discrimination on the part of the justice authorities", which is expressed in the refusal to register dioceses and individual parishes. Previously, claims against the ROAC were made by the Federal Property Management Agency . In addition, "since 2001, the campaign of slander on TV channels (TVC and NTV), as well as in the print media, has practically not stopped." It should be reminded that in September 2007, ROAC believers asked the Commissioner for Human Rights to protect them "from bureaucratic arbitrariness and slanderous attacks by the media."

“Unfortunately, those in whose hands the power is now are violating the Constitution, and before our eyes, the secular bureaucratic apparatus is merging with the patriarchal one. We very much hope that this Appeal of ours will have at least some effect, and officials, both in the center, and and locally they will stop violating the Constitution and other laws," the appeal concludes.

Sources

• Document. Appeal of the clergy, monastics and laity of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church regarding the violation of the rights of believers and harassment by officials // Slavic Legal Center. 2008. February 21.