Archpriest Dymytrii Sidor

Archpriest Dymytrii Sidor

Archpriest Dymytrii Sidor, rector of the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the city of Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia Region.

Archpriest Dymytrii Sidor is a clergyman who has publicly spoken out against the persecution of Orthodox Christians by the Ukrainian authorities and against the crimes committed by raiders targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The cathedral’s media platforms regularly publish Fr. Dymytrii’s sermons, in which he denounces the destruction of freedom of religion in the country.

Because of this public stance, the priest became a target of the state apparatus engaged in the persecution of Orthodox Christians.

On March 16, 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) served a notice of suspicion on the rector of the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral of the UOC in Uzhhorod for statements criticizing the OCU.

The clergyman was charged under Part 1 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – incitement of interreligious hatred.

In the case against Fr. Dymytrii, as in other similar cases, the security services relied on subordinate expert groups that conducted so-called “psycholinguistic examinations”.

These psycholinguistic experts deliberately interpret criticism of raider seizures of churches or violence by OCU activists as incitement of religious hatred.

(Source: Official website of the SBU)

Judicial consideration of the case against the rector of the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral is at its final stage.