Kyiv Court of Appeal has left under arrest a defendant in the case of the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet, musician Andriy Antonenko, Channel 5 television channel says.
The court made the corresponding decision on Monday, thus refusing to satisfy the appeals of the defense.
According to the TV channel, the judges upheld the decision of the first instance, to keep Antonenko in custody until December 19. On December 17, at the Shevchenkivsky District Court, the prosecutor will appeal for the extension of the preventive measure for all three persons involved in the case, since on December 19 the preventive measure expires.
The trial was broadcast on the Free Riff Facebook page. The representatives of the prosecution, arguing the position of refusing to satisfy the appeal, said that the presence of risks does not allow changing the restraint measure, as Antonenko can put pressure on witnesses.
“For a whole year [the measure of restraint in the form of detention for him has been in effect for almost a year] I do not understand what is happening […] A year of lies [….] a criminal order against us is being worked out,” Antonenko said.
A rally in support of Antonenko took place at the court the whole day, which was broadcast on the Free Riff page. While Antonenko was taken out after the court’s decision, people who came to the rally shouted words of support for him. A large number of law enforcement officers provided law and order near the courthouse.
The action at the court was calm.
As reported, on the morning of July 20, 2016, in the center of Kyiv, the car of Olena Prytula, Head of the Ukrainian Pravda online publication, was blown up, in which Sheremet was. The journalist died on the spot shortly after the explosion.
