High Specialized Court overturned the acquitment of blogger Kotsaba by the Court of Appeal
The High Specialized Court overturned the acquitment made by the Court of Appeal of Ivano-Frankivsk region on the case of blogger Ruslan Kotsaba, who is accused of high treason, and appointed a consideration of a criminal case in the Court of Appeal.
The video on which the court reads out the ruling is posted on YouTube network.
According to the video, the court will announce the full text of today’s ruling on the morning of June 7.
Kotsaba’s lawyer Tetiana Montian confirmed that the case will be reconsidered in the Court of Appeal.
“The grounds for cancellation are purely procedural: because the Court of Appeal did not grant the prosecutor’s request for investigation of some evidence. As I recall, the cassation was just lying in the High Specialized Court since August 29, 2016! The purpose of all this absurdity is to delay the final decision as much as possible, in order to delay decisions of the European Court”, – wrote Montian on her Facebook page.
As a reminder, on February 7, 2015, Kotsaba, a freelance journalist and a blogger from Ivano-Frankivsk, was arrested after publication of a video on YouTube network, in which he demands an immediate halt to hostilities and urges Ukrainians to give up mobilization.
On March 31 of the same year, he was accused of “high treason” and “obstruction of the legitimate activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.
The Prosecutor’s Office has requested to imprison Kotsaba for a term of 13 years.
Amnesty International stated that Kotsaba is the first Ukrainian prisoner of conscience in five years.
On May 12, 2016, City Court of Ivano-Frankivsk found local blogger Ruslan Kotsaba guilty of impeding the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and sentenced him 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment, removing charges of high treason. At the trial Ruslan Kotsaba stated that he does no admit his guilt.
On July 14, 2016, the Court of Appeal fully acquitted the Ivano-Frankivsk journalist Kotsaba and in the courtroom released him from custody.
