In an opinion piece for Newsweek magazine, Zbigniew Rau said that after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 the world "witnessed appalling scenes of harm, pain, and suffering inflicted on hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians."
Rau wrote that "the tragic lot of millions of civilian refugees, mostly women and children, and the enormous damage and destruction caused by the war call to mind the darkest periods in the recent history of Europe and the world."
He said that Russia's aggression against Ukraine has included "fully premeditated acts of war" aimed at non-military targets, including sites of Ukraine's cultural heritage and religious worship.
"The burning buildings of the Sviatohirsk (Holy Mountains) Lavra in Donetsk Oblast in the east of the country are among the most shocking symbols of this barbarity," Rau said, adding that the Lavra "is a vitally important place of worship in Orthodox Christianity," with the earliest mentions dating back to the 17th century.
"With the onset of the Russian invasion, the Lavra became a shelter for civilians, including pilgrims and members of the clergy, older persons, persons with disabilities, and children," Rau said.
He added: "This did not prevent Russian troops from brutally shelling the monastic complex. The attack wreaked damage on a number of its buildings. The Skete of All Saints, Ukraine's largest wooden church, built in the early 20th century, was burned to the ground."
Rau also said that, in their "pursuit to destroy Ukraine's places of religious worship," the Russians have mounted attacks not only on Orthodox churches in Mariupol and near Kyiv, but also on an Islamic culture centre in the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
"Cemeteries and remembrance sites have shared the same fate," Rau wrote.
"Ukrainians of all creeds and ethnic origins are faced with brutal annihilation of places commemorating their identity, including belief-related ones," he added.
Rau also said in his piece that "freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right" at the core of which "lies the freedom to practice the religion of one's choice, to change one's denomination, or to follow no religion at all, as well as the right to manifest one's religious beliefs."
He added: "This human right is both universal and inalienable; everyone is entitled to it and no one can be forced to adopt or reject certain religious beliefs. No person should be discriminated against on the basis of what they believe."
Promoting freedom of religion or belief "is an important objective of Poland's foreign policy on human rights," according to Rau.
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Source: PAP, newsweek.com