Director of Ukrainian library in Moscow accused of embezzlement – lawyer

The investigation intends to charge director of the Ukrainian Literature Library in Moscow, Natalia Sharina, with embezzlement.

This was announced by her lawyer Ivan Pavlov, Radio Liberty reports.

According to him, Sharina is invited to the Investigative Committee on April 5 to be charged with two episodes of embezzlement, which she could face up to ten years in prison for. Previously, she was accused of inciting ethnic hatred.

“Such a stance of the investigation is clear: when the main charge is falling apart, they need to impute something else,” Pavlov said.

Natalia Sharina has been placed under house arrest. She was detained on October 28, 2015 after the investigators had allegedly found the extremist literature during the search in the Ukrainian library. The criminal proceeding over inciting ethnic hatred and enmity was instituted against Sharina. She pleads not guilty. In November, Natalia Sharina was recognized a political prisoner by the “Memorial” Human Rights Center and a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.