Court limits time for UOJ journalists to study investigation materials

Volodymyr Bobechko, Valeriy Stupnitsky, and Andriy Ovcharenko. Photo: UOJ

On August 19, 2024, a hearing regarding the "UOJ case" took place at the Solomianskyi District Court in Kyiv, where Judge Katerina Zastrozhnykova, upon the request of investigator O. Savenko, limited the time for journalists and their defenders to review the case materials.

Savenko requested to set a limit of 19 days, but the judge extended the deadline to October 16, 2024.

During the discussion, it became clear that the investigator had not allowed the journalists to review the materials, ignoring their requests to invite their defenders to the review. In particular, V. Bobechko and A. Ovcharenko had written to the investigator four times to inform him of their readiness to review the materials only with their lawyers, while V. Stupnitsky had done so three times.

The journalists justified this by stating that they do not have legal education and require assistance from defenders during the review process. Nevertheless, Investigator Savenko did not consider it necessary to invite the lawyers to the review.

Stupnitsky's defender, Roman Gontarev, noted that the journalists' demands are entirely lawful, as they are charged with so-called "serious" articles, and according to the law, the presence of lawyers during the review is mandatory.

"The suspects have repeatedly stated their willingness to begin the review, but the investigator has not provided them with such an opportunity," the lawyer said.

He also stated that just before the hearing (after filing the motion), Investigator Savenko had not prepared all the volumes of the case. According to Gontarev, there were initially 30 volumes, then the number grew to 35, then to 38, and ultimately to 42 volumes.

Ovcharenko's defender, Ilya Serafimov, mentioned that the investigator, contrary to promises, had long denied even him the opportunity to familiarize himself with the case materials. Serafimov, along with other defenders, noted Savenko's bias and demanded his recusal.

The judge rejected the request to recuse the investigator but partially granted his motion.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Priest Serhiy Chertylin would be released from the pre-trial detention center on bail.

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