The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has voiced his protest against a ruling by Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court on extending Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko’s pretrial arrest.
“Roman Sushchenko’s groundless incarceration in the Russian Federation on fake charges and the politically motivated way in which the court has been hearing the case convincingly prove that this country [Russia] does not have a justice system and the right to a fair trial,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 28.
Kyiv demanded that Russia immediately free Sushchenko and ensure his unimpeded return to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also urged the international community and international human rights institutions to take all possible measures to have other Ukrainian citizens unlawfully held in Russia on fabricated and politically motivated charges returned home.
The Lefortovsky Court ruled earlier on Tuesday to extend Sushchenko’s arrest on espionage charges until Sept. 30.
The hearing was held behind closed doors, as Sushchenko’s case had earlier been classified as ‘top secret’.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Oct. 3 that the Ukrainian had been arrested on espionage charges. The FSB said Sushchenko had worked for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate in the rank of a colonel.
Sushchenko was charged with espionage and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer Mark Feygin said his client was charged with several counts of espionage.
Sushchenko, who had lived in France for six years working as a Paris correspondent for the Ukrinform agency, had repeatedly visited Russia, and at the time of his arrest was there for personal reasons: he has relatives in Russia, Feygin said.
Kyiv called Sushchenko’s arrest a provocation and the espionage charges fabricated.
