The following letter from UOC lawyer Robert Amsterdam was sent to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on August 6, 2024 warning of his potential violations of international law and application of war crimes. The letter was copied to relevant officials in the United States, the European Union, and United Nations, includes leaked internal documents showing how members … Read more
On May 3rd, 2024, the lawyers for the Ukrainian Parliament, the Main Legal Department of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (the ‘Legal Department’), provided a legal assessment of Draft Bill 8371(the ‘Law’), a law aiming to ban the religious practices of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (“UOC”). This report on their findings was prepared by Amsterdam … Read more
The following press release was distributed to media today. Lawyers for Ukrainian Orthodox Church Warn of Impending Crackdown Following Peace Conference “Zelensky is ‘pursuing peace’ while jailing priests,” says UOC lawyer Robert Amsterdam LONDON, JUNE 14, 2024 – The international legal team representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has announced that it has received intelligence … Read more
The following press release was distributed to media today. LONDON, MAY 22, 2024 – Robert Amsterdam, a lawyer acting on behalf of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), has today issued an open letter to the current President of the United Nations Security Council, His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique. The … Read more
The following opinion editorial was published by Robert Amsterdam, lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Since 2014 power in Ukraine has shifted to the right, in fact the full-scale war has accelerated a narrative of religious and language cleansing. With the destruction of Russian language rights which occurred in 2017, and the deification of the … Read more
The following is the English translation of sermon delivered by Metropolitan Arseniy of the Svyatogorsk Lavra on September 25, 2023, in which he comments on the harassment of his parishioners by the Ukrainian security services on September 23, which was the eve of a holiday celebrating the Cathedral of Svyatogorsk Saints and the 15th anniversary … Read more
On 24 April 2024, the Department for External Church Relations received a “Statement in support of Fr. Mykolai Danylevych on his criminal persecution” from Emeritus Professor Dr Thomas Bremer and Professor Dr Regina Elsner (Germany). Below is the text of the Statement. Statement in support of Fr. Mykolai Danylevych on his criminal persecution On April … Read more
“Reckless and irresponsible” spending on Washington lobbyists is an insult to all Ukrainians, especially those fighting on the frontlines, says Amsterdam WASHINGTON DC, April 16, 2024 – Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has denounced the timing of the Ukrainian government’s decision to spend $3.5 million on an influence campaign in … Read more
The following press release was distributed to media today: WASHINGTON DC – Following a coordinated raid on 11 different locations in and around Kyiv by the secret police (Security Service of Ukraine, SBU) and the confirmed arrests of four journalists affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ), international lawyer Robert Amsterdam has condemned the … Read more
The following press release was issued to media today: WASHINGTON DC, January 26, 2024 – On January 25, just one day after a Russian plane was shot down carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, members of Ukraine’s Verkhona Rada said that they intend to move forward to pass a controversial bill aimed at banning the … Read more