Vitaly Kadnichansky was arrested in May 2012 after two shocking assaults on Nigerian students in Kharkiv, with other charges later added.
A 28-year-old Ukrainian national from Kharkiv has been sentenced to life imprisonment for racist and homophobic attacks on six people and the killing of another young man. The case was an important precedent due to the fact that the prosecution clearly identified racism and homophobia as motives determining Vitaly Kadnichansky’s choice of victims, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG). The case also gained some notoriety due to the attempt by Oleh Lyashko, leader of the Radical Party, to get the young man added to a list of "political prisoners" in 2015, and pardoned.
Vitaly Kadnichansky was arrested in May 2012 after two shocking assaults on Nigerian students in Kharkiv, with other charges later added. He reportedly confessed to the attacks, though later retracted his confession and denies all charges. A panel of judges at the Dzherzhynsky District Court in Kharkiv on Feb 5 sentenced the man to life imprisonment on charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of explosives. He was also ordered to pay UAH 6,000 to each of the victims, as well as UAH 18,000 in trial costs. The defense team intends to appeal the verdict.
via: unian
No comments:
Post a Comment