Documentarist receives death threats in response to his investigation into Bancheny Monastery

Chernivtsi photographer and documentarist Edgar Kalancha, who released a series of investigations into the abuse of children at the Bancheny Monastery orphanage and the activities of the UOC MP abbot Mykhailo Zhar (Lonhin), spoke about the death threats he had received in an interview with Espreso.Zakhid.

“In November 2023, someone called me from the Bancheny Monastery and threatened to murder me. From that moment on, I decided to simply expose them,” Kalancha said.

He adds that after he posted the first videos with children's testimonies, the threats, both overt and veiled, became a regular occurrence.

Edgar Kalancha / photo shared with Espreso.Zakhid by Edgar Kalancha

“There have been hints. Well, for instance, 'I'm not threatening you, but be careful as you walk around.' There have been lines such as, 'You have ruined your life with this investigation, you don’t know who you're up against,'” he says.

Despite the danger, Kalancha continued working on a four-part film in which former wards share stories of beatings, humiliation, intimidation, and covering up the abuse.

“I realize that if something happens to me now, or in a year, or in three, or in five, then everyone will know and realize who did it. I fear for my safety, health, and life, literally,” he emphasizes.

Some children who dared to testify are still afraid and asked to remain anonymous despite having been out of the institution for a long time.

“There are many things that the children are afraid to tell, because even though they have grown up, left the country, they understand that they are still in danger. 90% of them ask for anonymity. And everyone warns me, tells me to be careful, because they know who these people are,” explains Kalanchaa.

He added that the police have opened an investigation.

“The law enforcers took statements from me, we talked, and I left. I want all these children's recordings to at least be investigated and for the truth to be revealed,” the journalist noted.

Kalancha adds that what struck him most was not the death threats, but the fact that the children finally began to trust him and speak out.

“At some point, one child said, 'I am ready to talk.' Then another one. They saw that the others were starting to speak out, and they realized that maybe this is their chance to open up and tell the whole truth,” Edgar Kalancha said.

Earlier this month, the police opened a case into the attack on freelancer journalist Diana Lavryk by UOC MP supporters during a conflict in a Verkhni Stanivtsi church (Chernivtsi oblast).