Another six months behind bars

On September 15, in the Russian city of Donetsk, Rostov region, a preliminary hearing was held on the case of Nadia Savchenko, Ukrainian pilot. The Russian court has granted the prosecutor’s request and extended the arrest of the Ukrainian woman by six months. At the same time, as reported by Mark Feigin, one of Savchenko’s lawyers, the defense had asked for “a different measure of restraint that amounts to anything not related to detention, with a consular guarantee if needed.”

According to Ilya Novikov, another defender, “these six months is the maximum term for the proceedings; the court of the first and the second levels must use no more of that time to conclude both the trial itself and the appeal.” “Everything else is only a theory: no one knows whether it will take six months or two months. This decision by the court was a standard procedure,” said the lawyer to The Day.

The hearing in Donetsk was held behind closed doors and accompanied by reinforced security measures. At the hearing, no Savchenko’s relatives were present, but there were seven representatives of the EU and the United States. “The purpose of our visit is to observe the course of the trial,” as one of the foreign observers told Interfax. According to him, delegation is composed of representatives from Sweden, the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States.

The presence of American diplomats at the trial was also confirmed by William Stevens, spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow. “We would like to emphasize that Nadia Savchenko should not be under any trial at all. She is being detained as a hostage after having been kidnapped by Russian-backed separatists and illegally transported across Ukrainian border,” Stevens told the reporters.

“Savchenko’s defense was denied in all its motions. There are three yet remaining to be considered: on three judges, on the evidence exclusion, and on calling the witnesses,” Mark Feigin has informed through his Twitted. Later he added that “the prosecution has agreed with the defense’s request in regard of the proceedings on Savchenko being heard by three judges.”

During the courtroom break, The Day telephoned Feigin and asked him his comments on the court’s decision to extend Savchenko’s arrest.

“This is provided by the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. It is necessary for the trial, which is regulated by the requirements for the preliminary hearing. The preliminary hearing is where this issue is taken into account, as September 30 was previously the deadline for Savchenko’s custody at the request of the investigation. Now, as she already faces the court, the issue should have been resolved – and that is exactly what happened. The real question is why should she be detained? A preventive measure should not necessary be connected with arrest. However, these six months were determined by a standard procedure, which is designed for dealing with people facing charges on the most serious crimes,” said Feigin.

Meanwhile, on September 16, the Moscow City Court considered the appeal of Savchenko’s lawyers regarding her legal immunity as a PACE delegate. However, Feigin told The Day that even if the Savchenko’s status were to be recognized, “there would still be no positive sides in that.” On another note, according to Ilya Novikov, “the investigators, who detained Savchenko, may find themselves in the international wanted list, because she is a delegate to the PACE.”

As a reminder: in June 2014, Nadia Savchenko had been captured by the pro-Russian terrorists in Donbas, and transferred into the Russian territory. There Savchenko was charged with the murder of two Russian journalists, attempted murder, and illegally crossing the border of the Russian Federation.