Savchenko case to be considered in Russia’s Donetsk court
The Rostov Regional Court (the Russian Federation) rejected the motion of the lawyers of Ukrainian pilot, PACE delegate Nadiya Savchenko to change the place of jurisdiction of her case.
The lawyers asked the court to transfer the trial from Donetsk (Rostov region, Russia) to Moscow for security reasons, BBC Ukraine reports.
“Nothing new, actually. Savchenko case will be considered in Donetsk,” Savchenko’s lawyer Mark Feygin posted on Twitter.
Собственно, ничего нового. Дело Савченко будет рассмотрено в Донецке. Её осудят, а потом начнут игру с обменом. Всё, как и предполагалось
— Mark Feygin (@mark_feygin) 21 Серпень 2015
Дело Савченко оставили в Донецке (сюрприз). Из положительных итогов – мы отыграли у них месяц и успели подготовить экспертизы #FreeSavchenko
— Ilya Novikov (@vertiporokh) 21 Серпень 2015
The judge said there were no reasons to change the place of jurisdiction.
“A criminal case is to be considered at place of committing a crime, hence the case of Savchenko should be considered in the Donetsk City Court,” the Interfax news agency quotes the judge’s conclusion.
Nadiya Savchenko participated in the court hearing via video conference.
The lawyers do not intend to appeal against the decision of the Rostov Regional Court.
As a reminder, Savchenko is accused of involvement in murder of two journalists and illegal crossing of the Russian border. Savchenko denies the accusations and says that she had been captured by militants of the Luhansk People’s Republic, who handed her over to the Russian law enforcement officers.