Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov has arrived in Italy at the court hearing on the case of Vitaliy Markiv, a soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine, who is accused of the death of Italian photo correspondent Andrea Rocchelli in 2014.
A regular meeting is taking place in the city of Pavia (Italy) on May 17. Witnesses of the defense Acting Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Mykola Balan and four fellow-guardsmen of Markiv will be interrogated, the Liaison Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said.
“Avakov will be present in the courtroom to support Markiv and will provide the necessary evidence of his innocence,” the report says.
As reported, Markiv, a citizen of Ukraine and Italy, was detained in Italy on June 30, 2017, on suspicion of murdering Italian photojournalist Rocchelli near Sloviansk, Donetsk region in May 2014.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov repeatedly declared that the charges of Markiv were groundless: “Markiv is unjustifiably accused of the murder of Rocchelli, who illegally arrived at ORDLO and was killed by separatists.”
