An investigating judge of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has released from custody the commander of a special purpose company of the Berkut riot police force, who was charged with shooting at 39 protesters on Instytutska Street in Kyiv, the Prosecutor General's Office plans to appeal the decision.
“The grounds for the release are that the suspect of committing a particularly grave crime has a wife, three children and a flat in Kyiv, as well as a positive reputation. According to the court, these circumstances constitute a guarantee that the suspect won’t try to avoid criminal responsibility,” the PGO’s press service reported on Friday, Sep. 19.
The PGO expressed its outrage by this decision and considers Pechersky district court’s ruling as one that would help a suspected criminal, who faces the penalty from 10 years to life imprisonment, to escape justice. The prosecutors have prepared an appeal against this ruling.
