A/HRC/28/64/Add.1 VIII. Situation of religious minorities 57. Ukraine has a wide range of religions, belief groups and religious freedoms and the rights of religious minorities are protected in practice. Nevertheless, given the climate of political and social unease, it is particularly necessary for the authorities to guard against any human rights violations, including acts of violence, intimidation, threat or abuse targeted at individuals or groups based on their religion. Some incidents of concern have been reported in the context of the tense social and political environment since February 2014. 58. Jewish representatives reflected that they were well integrated, enjoyed their rights as a religious minority and that anti-Semitism, discrimination and violent incidents were rare. They generally expressed satisfaction at the extent of their minority rights protection. However, some incidents were reported in the context of the unrest that had put Jewish communities on alert. In February, the Giymat Rosa Synagogue in Zaporizhia, near Kyiv was firebombed. In early April 2014, a Holocaust memorial in Odesa was vandalized with Nazi graffiti. On 19 April, the Nikolayev Synagogue was firebombed causing minor damage. Representatives expressed concern about adequate protection measures. One leader stated: “No proper police are in place; ordinary people are carrying arms.” Some anti-Semitic graffiti was also reported in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. 59. Of concern to the Jewish community was the distribution in Donetsk by men wearing balaclavas of leaflets calling on Jews to register with the pro-Russians, pay a tax, or leave. The leaflets bore a stamp reportedly of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of Donetsk”, although it declared the leaflets to be a hoax. It remains unclear who was behind the leaflet. One leader of the Jewish community mentioned an incident in which neo-Nazi graffiti, allegedly signed by the Right Sector, had been painted on the walls of a synagogue in Odesa. Right Sector representatives denied involvement and reportedly helped remove the graffiti. A Jewish leader stated: “Politicians are playing the ‘Jewish card’” and that the incidents were intended to inflame tensions and concerns amongst Jewish communities for political ends. 60. While incidents remain rare, they nevertheless indicate a potential rise in manifestations of anti-Semitism, which must be monitored closely. The lack of implementation of the rule of law in some localities provides an environment in which farright groups have undoubtedly increased their activities and such anti-Semitic incidents may become more pronounced. Such incidents have created anxiety and should be investigated as crimes aggravated by hatred. Anti-Semitism must be acknowledged by the Government and measures should be taken to prosecute according to the law any person or group alleged to have committed or incited anti-Semitic acts. 61. Senior representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) expressed concerns over alleged reports from church members of rising animosity against them, searching of properties, and the questioning of a church leader. They stated that there had been calls for Russian churches to be destroyed and Russian priests to be killed. They mentioned calls for the two most important monasteries to be transferred to the Kyiv Patriarchate and threats, allegedly by the Right Sector, to take over the cathedral unless it was transferred to the Kyiv Patriarchate. They reported cases of intimidation and persecution, including the case of a priest who had fled to Luhansk after having been interrogated by the authorities. 62. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, there have been news reports of representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church claiming that Russian priests with armed supporters had threatened to confiscate churches. Some representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic Church reportedly left Crimea following alleged threats of arrest or property 16