The head of the group of public prosecution in the case of former Acting Defense Minister of Ukraine Valeriy Ivaschenko, Petro Koval, has said he saw no human rights violations during the holding of a court session in an escort room of Kyiv's Pechersky District Court.
"The session was scheduled for April 6 on Haitsana Street, and prosecutors, the defense team, and the defendant [Serhiy] Mikheyev, who said he would like this trial to be completed as quickly as possible, were preparing for it," he told reporters after a court session on Monday.
Koval noted that the court hearing was not held on April 6, because Ivaschenko refused to come to the third floor of the courthouse, citing back problems. He also noted that a medical commission of the State Penitentiary Service, after examining the defendant before delivering him to court, had made the conclusion that Ivaschenko could participate in the meeting.
The prosecutor noted that in Ukraine there were precedents of holding court sessions in such circumstances.
"There were cases, in the Shevchenkivsky court, when there were criminal cases and it so happened that the court hearing was moved, and the court made such decisions," he said.
Koval also noted that those wishing to arrive for the meeting, including journalists, were not allowed to enter the escort room because of its small size.
He said that prosecutors had asked the court to sentence defendants Ivaschenko and Mikheyev to six and five years in prison, respectively, despite the fact that sanctions in the article, under which they were charged, foresees from seven to 12 years in prison, since Ivaschenko has positive characteristics, merits and state awards.
