{"id":1491,"date":"2025-07-17T11:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T08:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pravotvorets.info\/?p=1491"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:22:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T08:22:20","slug":"shabunin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pravotvorets.info\/en\/news\/shabunin\/","title":{"rendered":"The lawmaker joined the statement in support of Vitaliy Shabunin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stop using the justice system for political reprisals: statement by civil society organizations on the case of Vitaliy Shabunin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To the President of Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the Prosecutor General of Ukraine <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Ruslan Kravchenko<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexey Sukhachev<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

STATEMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 11, 2025, at the co-founder of the public organization \u201cAnti-Corruption Action Center\u201d Vitaliy Shabunin passed<\/a> searches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of the investigation, Shabunin was a sergeant serving in the 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ASU). According to his lawyer Olena Shcherban, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) conducted searches at several addresses: at his place of registration in Kyiv, where Vitaliy's family and young children currently live, and at his place of service in the Chuguiv district of the Kharkiv region. The searches were preceded by a long and systematic discrediting campaign against Shabunin through anonymous Telegram channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By data<\/a> According to the Anti-Corruption Center, the investigative actions were carried out with numerous violations by the State Bureau of Investigation, which were recorded by lawyers who arrived at the scene after the fact: the absence of court orders, the organization of searches in such a way that lawyers were unable to arrive on time and take measures to protect their rights, the absence of video recording of the process of seizing equipment and objects, which could be used in the future for further discrediting, the seizure of objects that are not related to the essence of the criminal proceedings, etc. Vitaliy Shabunin, as well as his relatives, had their mobile phones taken away and even children's tablets confiscated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced suspicion against Shabunin for \u201cevasion of military service\u201d and \u201cfraud\u201d (under Part 4 of Article 409 and Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recall that Vitaliy Shabunin voluntarily mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale war, was in various regions of Ukraine at the location of the unit's deployment, where, in accordance with the military orders of the leadership, he performed military service. The SBI's accusations of his alleged evasion of service are based on the period when Shabunin was on a business trip to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) in accordance with the official order of the command. Cases of military personnel being sent to government bodies and institutions are not unique. During his business trip to the NACP, Shabunin received standard monetary support as a military personnel in accordance with current legislation \u2014 without any \u201ccombat\u201d payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation did not provide for any special actions by Shabunin in the event of a business trip: his task was to go on a business trip, following the order. The issue of receiving or not receiving payments of a serviceman does not depend on his will and it is not he who calculates them. These issues are regulated by the state, and if it believes that an unjustified payment has been made, then there is an institution of civil law under which a claim for the return of funds can be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Vitaliy Shabunin is suspected of committing actions committed by state bodies, because a serviceman does not decide how much he should be paid and by whom, he is a subordinate person who, during his service, is in the "hands" of the state and dependent on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the official press releases<\/a> The SBI also makes a manipulative reference to the use of a volunteer car. However, data<\/a> The Anti-Corruption Center did not suspect this claim, as this practice is legal and widely used in the Defense Forces. Moreover, private donors have previously gave<\/a> public clarification that the purchase was made with CEO Club funds, and the car was transferred specifically for the needs of serviceman Shabunin. Since the benefactors who financed the purchase of the car do not believe that their rights have been violated and have not applied to any law enforcement agencies for the restoration of their rights, the latter have no legal grounds to accuse the serviceman of using a car that is not owned by a state body or military unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, The actions of the pre-trial investigation bodies can be regarded either as complete incompetence of the officials and inadequacy of their position, or as a targeted attack aimed at putting pressure on Vitaliy Shabunin, who continued to criticize the work of state bodies during his military service.<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This criminal prosecution bears the hallmarks of being politically motivated, constitutes an abuse of law, i.e. it is carried out in violation of Ukraine's obligations under Article 18 (limits of application of restrictions on rights) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in conjunction with Article 6 (right to a fair trial) and Article 10 (freedom of expression) of this Convention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This persecution is another episode in <\/strong>long history of attacks<\/strong><\/a> on Vitaliy Shabunin personally and on the \u201cAnti-Corruption Center\u201d headed by him<\/strong>\u201d, which have been ongoing since 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We, the undersigned representatives of human rights, anti-corruption organizations and other public associations, We appeal to the President of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General, and the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation with a demand to prevent the use of the justice system for political reprisals and persecution of critics of the government<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We call<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n