On December 10, the judge presiding over Sheremet's case, Oksana Holub, abused her power and grossly violated Ukrainian law by not allowing relatives, free listeners, and guarantors to attend yesterday's hearing.
People's deputies from the "EU" Maria Ionova, Mykhailo Bondar and former people's deputy from the "People's Front" Andriy Teteruk called the patrol police to the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv over the judge's actions. Holub decided to consider the criminal proceedings in closed session and, at the same time, allowed journalists to the session and did not stop the online broadcast on the web portal "Judiciary of Ukraine". The Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine does not allow this. If the session is closed, only participants in the trial may be present in the courtroom: journalists are also not allowed, and the broadcast is automatically stopped. However, only relatives, free listeners and people's deputies-guarantors were unable to enter the supposedly "closed" session.
It is symbolic that this violation occurred on International Human Rights Day: Andriy Antonenko has been held in custody without evidence for almost a year, and his wife, mother, and brother were not even allowed to attend the court hearing.
According to People's Deputy Teteruk, Judge Holub is abusing judicial power, as she made an illegal - unmotivated and groundless decision to hold a closed session, thereby violating the Laws of Ukraine and the Constitution of Ukraine. The Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine does not provide for a closed session on the grounds of "ensuring the safety of persons participating in criminal proceedings", if this applies to judges, prosecutors and jurors, which the judge referred to in the ruling. Moreover, in violation of the law, Holub made a decision to hold a closed session "in secret" - on December 9 outside the court session without hearing the opinions of the defense and the accused. Instead, at the session itself, the lawyers were simply confronted with the fact. By not allowing guarantors-People's Deputies, the judge also violated the Law of Ukraine "On People's Deputies".
“How is a judge's order superior to the Law of Ukraine "On People's Deputy"? We are witnesses to how the rights of the accused are grossly violated when they do not have the right to defense and guarantors,” added People's Deputy Maria Ionova.
Then Oksana Holub refused to talk to the police. Law enforcement officers were also not allowed into the hearing. The policewoman was waiting for the judge to “catch” her during a break when she would go to the conference room and listen to her explanations. As the police reported, Holub “did not let the guarantors in according to the ruling. She did not even say another word, she pushed them away and that was it.” “The judge demonstrates his superiority outside the courtroom as well. Let people see and draw their own conclusions,” commented former People’s Deputy Teteruk.
The People's Deputies will appeal to the disciplinary chamber of the High Council of Justice regarding the chairwoman, so that they can give a fair assessment of the judicial arbitrariness. And they will report on this situation to the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on the Sheremet case, when it becomes operational. Currently, its creation is being blocked by deputies from the Servant of the People party.
On December 10, at the request of the OGPU prosecutor Mykhailo Tishin, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court extended preventive measures against military musician, special forces officer Andriy Antonenko, pediatric surgeon and volunteer Yulia Kuzmeko, and military medic Yana Dugar. They were accused without evidence of the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet. The riffmaster will be kept in custody until February 7, unless the appeal overturns this decision. During this year, since the anniversary briefing, no one has shown evidence of their guilt, but people are being deprived of and restricted in their freedom on trumped-up charges.
