Moscow, May 26 (IANS) The Russian Foreign Ministry is going to summon the head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow in connection with the detention of Hilarion Alfeyev in Karlovy Vary, local media reported on Monday.
Hilarion Alfrey, a retired bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church residing in Czechia, was arrested on Sunday after Czech police found containers with an unspecified substance in the trunk of his car, according to a statement released by the Ministry.
“The Russian Embassy will continue to provide him with all necessary assistance. The head of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry shortly, where a strong protest will be lodged against the Czech authorities’ unacceptable, arbitrary actions,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported.
Alfeyev’s place of service is designated as the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary.
The Ministry said he was arrested in the Czech Republic on “trumped-up charges.”
According to the statement, the police station conducted a personal search of Hilarion and his driver, and tested them for narcotics (with negative results).
“We regard this incident as a deliberate, orchestrated provocation, with the aim of denigrating both the Metropolitan himself and, through him, Orthodoxy in principle, which has recently been under attack in the Czech Republic,” noted the Ministry.
It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Hilarion Alfrey and the end of the “fabricated investigation”.
Hilarion categorically denied involvement in the illegal possession of prohibited substances and considers his arrest a provocation.
Hilarion also noted that he has received frequent anonymous threats, including threats of physical violence, over the past several months, demanding that he leave his place of service.
He is ready to cooperate with the investigation within the law and intends to defend his name, dignity and reputation by all available legal means, Hilarion added, according to his Telegram channel.
–IANS
ksk/pgh
