Working Meeting of Head of NGO Public Advocacy O. Denisov with UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Mr. Ahmed Shaheed 

On March 6, 2013, the head of NGO Public Advocacy met with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Mr. Ahmed Shaheed.

 

In accordance with the powers and mandate of the United Nations, a special rapporteur is authorized to consider individual complaints and NGO communications about religious offenses with a view to conducting communication negotiations with states and, if necessary, imposing the required diplomatic pressure on them.

 

On issues concerning Ukraine, Mr. Ahmed Shaheed was supplied with complaints from a number of communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as materials concerning scandalous bills Nos. 4128, 4511, 5309, which, in our opinion, are discriminatory and cannot be adopted in Ukraine.

 

Besides, the UN Special Rapporteur was informed about the case of the Tithe Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as the attack on the office of the Information Agency "Union of Orthodox Journalists". All of the above facts were included in the written statements of NGO Public Advocacy, which were submitted to the UN Human Rights Council during the 37th session, which will last until the end of March 2018.

 

On behalf of the communities and believers of the UOC, Mr. Ahmed Shaheed was invited to Ukraine to monitor the situation and communicate with the government of Ukraine in accordance with the international legal norms regulating the activities of a special rapporteur.

 

In his turn, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief expressed his concern about the information received and reported on the preparation of the communication procedure in accordance with his mandate regarding the available information.

 

On the same day Mr. Denisov took part in the meeting, organized by the International Human Rights Network (RIDH), Spain. The event was attended by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mr. Michel Forst (France). The video presentation of the Special Rapporteur at the event will be published on our site later.