UOL lawyers said that the court satisfied the claim of the wife of the persecuted priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the Zolochiv town council.

The Ternopil Administrative Court sided with the family of UOC priest Maxim Yoenko, who suffered from persecution by local authorities in Zolochiv, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists on its Telegram channel.

The court upheld the claim of the wife of the cleric Shakhoval Olga Vladimirovna against the Zolochiv town council and found illegal the decision to demolish the fence of their family house.

“Thus, the court decision once again confirmed the lack of grounds for local authorities to interfere in the private life of the family of the UOC priest, as well as the presence of prejudice against him and his family. As a result, by their actions, the authorities unreasonably interfere not only in the personal life of the priest’s family but also resist meeting the religious needs of the local community of the UOC,” the lawyers noted.

Earlier, the Zolochiv district police department closed criminal proceedings against local deputies led by Mayor Igor Hrynkiv, opened in connection with the persecution of UOC cleric Maxim Yoenko.