On October 19, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted at first reading Draft Law 8371 that would ban religious organizations affiliated with Russia. After that, a group of MPs called for referring the bill for examination by the Venice Commission.
In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk told whether the motion was granted and when legislators intend to vote at second reading, TSN reported.
“As far as I am informed, (Servant of the People faction deputy head Andriy – ed.) Motovylovets has withdrawn his signature from the appeal. Secondly, we proceed from the fact that the Venice Commission is not a parliamentary expert office or its legal department, where we send all bills. We apply this mechanism for some really complex bills. I received the appeal and never forwarded it to the Venice Commission. Moreover, in my opinion, the committee on humanitarian and information policy, which was designated as the one responsible for the preparation of this draft law, should now engage professionally and within its competence,” said Stefanchuk.
He added that the committee chair, Mykyta Poturaev, had already stated that its members would work actively on the issue from the start of this year. The committee will meet to adopt a decision that would ensure a fair approach to the implementation of the law.
“It should not apply to just one particular entity, selectively, but there should be a principle. Any denomination, any religious organization, any Church – as soon as evidence of their cooperation with the Russian Federation surfaces, should be subjected to appropriate legislative and democratic influence, with the option of a court appeal. Nothing can be done arbitrarily. That’s because this is no longer a matter of faith or religion, but that of national security. That is why I expect such a bill to pass in this form. As soon as it is prepared, I believe we will immediately table it in the hall,” said the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
