Open letter to Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

Lvov (Ukraine), 14 December 2011

Dear Sir,

we send You copies of our letters to the President of Ukraine. In the letters we mentioned in several points the specific cases of discrimination against our religious minority – Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC). Discrimination is perpetrated by the Ministry of Culture (Mr Bohutskyi) on the orders of the UGCC hierarchy. Unless You respond to this blatant religious discrimination, Your mission, in fact, has nothing to do with human rights. It will be evidence that You have come to Ukraine just to one-sidedly advocate the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals (LGBTs) and hence to destroy the moral and spiritual values of the Ukrainian nation.

Within the bounds of so-called freedom of speech, which You portray in high-sounding words, we would like to ask You to ensure an opportunity in the press or on television for an open discussion between our oppressed religious minority and those who unjustly defame and discriminate against us. Unless You make at least this small step, then talking about freedom of speech on Your part is in actual fact destruction of the very last remnants of democracy which guarantees at least a minimum in the fight against a totalitarian monopoly over the mass media. In this connection, we would like to ask You to raise a demand at the EU-Ukraine Summit which, among other things, will also deal with the question of anti-discrimination laws and so-called freedom of speech.

+ Methodius OSBMr      + Timothy OSBMr

Secretary Bishops of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

Copies to:

– The President

– The Prime Minister

– Members of Parliament

– Presidents of EU Member States, Belarus and Russia

– Mass media in the EU