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Prosecution Demands Death For Onopriyenko

06 March, 00:00

By Valery KOSTIUKEVYCH, The Day On Tuesday in the Zhytomyr regional court arguments began in the case of Anatoly Onopriyenko, accused of 52 murders, and his alleged accomplice in some of the acts, Serhiy Rohozin. The prosecutor Yuri Ihnatenko's opening statement lasted almost three hours including recesses. The main content of the opening remarks dealt with the results of the preliminary investigation conclusions: the main defendant is charged with 52 counts of premeditated murder, including murder with extreme brutality, also robbery, organizing gangs and banditry, along with a string other felonies; Serhiy Rohozin charged as an accessory in the first three episodes of serial murder qualified by the prosecution as organized gang actions, and, correspondingly, banditry and failing to reporting the crimes. Pointing out extreme danger of actions to society Mr. Ihnatenko demanded the death sentence for Anatoly Onopriyenko, and 15 years of prison for Serhiy Rohozin.

When asked by The Day's reporter whether the death penalty can be applied to Anatoly Onopriyenko in view of Ukraine's membership in the Council of Europe, Mr. Ihnatenko answered that he was acting in accordance with the Criminal Code of Ukraine, but in the course of time the death penalty should be abolished in Ukraine. The prosecutor also expressed his displeasure with the police work in detecting some episodes of crimes in which Onopriyenko and Rohozin are implicated. In reply Onopriyenko's defense counsel Ruslan Moshkovsky asked the court to reduce the sentence without directly calling for a sentence other than death. Rohozin's attorney Yuri Turkinov argued that the evidence collected by the prosecution is enough only to accuse his client of not reporting Onopriyenko's crimes and concealing them. In his final statement to the court that evening Rohozin pleaded guilty only to these crimes and asked the court for mercy. Anatoly Onopriyenko twice refused to make a statement in court. The court retired to chambers. The verdict is scheduled to be announced approximately March 31.

Newspaper output №:

№9, (1999)

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Day After Day