The Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office has said that investigative actions at the Islamic Cultural Center were conducted on the basis of court judgments, in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and are aimed at detecting possible illegal actions of individual citizens, rather than the activities of the entire center.
“Reports in some media about the alleged persecution of religious organizations by the capital’s prosecutor’s office are untrue. The investigative actions that took place on March 6 in the premises of a religious center were conducted on the basis of the rulings of the Podilsky District Court of Kyiv and in strict accordance with the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine,” the press service of the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office reported.
In particular, all investigative actions were filmed and conducted in the presence of witnesses and taking into account the internal regulations of the center.
“Investigative actions are aimed at detecting and uncovering possible unlawful actions of individual citizens and in no way concern the activities of the center as a public or religious organization,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Early on March 6, the Security Service of Ukraine, under the procedural leadership of the Kyiv Local Prosecutor’s Office No. 7, conducted searches at the premises of a public organization in Kyiv and Poltava due to the possible dissemination of works containing propaganda of violence. The searches were conducted as part of criminal proceedings opened under Part 1, Article 300 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (importation, production or distribution of works that promote the cult of violence and cruelty).
