Yevgeni and Irina Morozov
20 March 1999

Facts on the continual persecution of the life and activity of Deacon Yevgeni Morozov of the Russian Orthodox Church and of his wife and 4 children.

December 17, 1995: He was ordained as a deacon at Novodenichiy Monastery in
Moscow region by permission of Metropolitan Juvenaly (who is a ruler over Moscow Church Eparchy)

February 21, 1995: Metropolitan Juvenaly prohibited Yevgeni to serve as a deacon while he was on a sick leave.

February 1995 - November 20, 1997: Deacon Yevgeni continued to perform the different duties assigned him by Juvenaly.

November 20, 1997: Metropolitan Juvenaly tried to revoke the ordination of deacon Yevgeni.

November 22, 1997: Yevgeni appealed to the Highest Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Aleksy II.

Aleksy didn't sign the papers revoking his ordination but neither did he take the matter into consideration.

December-April 1998: Deacon Yevgeni Morozov tried to defend his right to serve in the Orthodox Church.

April 30, 1998: Deacon Yevgeni was arrested. They kept him in a single cell in the Militia department Chertanovo-Severnoe, Moscow for 6 days without food and without the sanction of a public prosecutor.

Beginning of June 1998: Yevgeni Morozov went with his family to the place where they were born (village Milanda, Kirov region). He tried to restore the Kazansko-Bogoroditsku church that was built by his parents.

June 21, 1998: During the celebration of the Kazan Icon Yevgeni and his wife Irina and people from the villages around put a cross on the church building. There was a TV report and articles in the newspaper about that event entitled " Born Again Church in Milanda" by Tatyana Elkina; " Let's Revive the Church and Purify our Souls" by Nadezhda Vitoshina; " Melanda's bell", an article about the good Christian marriage of Yevgeni and Irina; " Why Do We put So Little Into It?" an article about people who are afraid to come to church. They organized a concert devoted to the "Memory of those who suffered for their Orthodox faith during the time of repression" with the help of some youth from the village. Also in Lebezhye village they held a concert called " Russia and we" and other meetings.

June 29, 1998: Vyatka Eparchy sent faxes to all administrative places of Lebezhye region that prohibited any church activity to Deacon Yevgeni Morozov. There was a lie about him being in a prison in the past.

They started putting up all kinds of obstacles to the church restoration and activity. The reputation and dignity of Deacon Yevgeni were daubed dirty.

September 1998: Deacon Yevgeni Morozov lives with his family in Kirov doing public and church activity.

November 4, 1998: He was arrested for 4.5 hours at Lebezhye militia department with his 3 year old son Kirill when he was going to the village Milanda to participate in the celebration of Kazan Icon. The celebration was canceled because of that. This day he was interviewed by a correspondent Galina Ermolina of " Vyatsky kray" newspaper.

December 5, 1998: There came a false article about life and activity of Deacon Yevgeni Morozov that distorted facts and dates purposefully to discredit him. The author of the article had no direct communication with Yevgeni Morozov.

The article: "Energetic, Artistic, Charming ëFatherí Yevgeni from Moscow Decided to Restore a Church in Vyatka Region Villageî.

There was neither correction nor disapproval of the article.

December 1998 - March 15, 1999: Deacon Yevgeni Morozov with his wife Irina tried to organize and register with the government the "Orthodox Youth camp" at the church and the "Christian Ethics and Aesthetics Society" in Kirov.

During this time they turned off the light and gas in Yevgeni's apartment that they were renting in Kirov. There were four break-ins into the apartment leaving it in shambles; Kirov's militia covered up and never investigated the cases.

On the 25th of March and the 6th of April. Yevgeni and Irina wanted to organize concerts "Russia and us" which were to include reading the verse of Russian poets and playing classical music.

By 15 of March 1999 Deacon Yevgeni wanted to make corrections and additions to a legal suit against the newspaper "Vyatsky kray" about the false article.

March 15 1999 at 9:30 p.m. Deacon Yevgeni Morozov was arrested on the false accusation of having some financial debts that he was not going go to pay off.

Right now he is under arrest in a prison (Kirov, Mopra St. 1). There is no investigation going on. His wife and attorneys are not permitted to visit him. His four children are left without financial means.

March 18, 1999 18:00 p.m. There was a search in his apartment by militia. They were looking for his clerical robe and church documents.

I ask for help to free my husband Yevgeni Morozov and consider this illegal case.

We sent documents and petitions to administration of President Yeltsin, to the MVD of Russia, to General Prosecutorís office, to the "Slavic Institute of Religion and Rights" Moscow, Leninsky pr. 20, to the United Nations organization.

We want to work and serve in the Orthodox Church in Russia but the persecutions make us to ask for political refuge because there is no possibility to do that with honesty and dignity in modern Russia.

We plea for help.

Deacon Yevgeni Morozov and Irina his wife.
610000, Russia, Kirov, Sverdlova St. 23-6

(tr. by S. Markevitch)