Maidan shootings: Preparatory hearing in case against Yanukovych and security forces has been delayed since June 2024
Since June 2024, the Brovary City District Court has been holding a preparatory hearing in the case against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and security forces on charges of organizing the dispersal and shooting of activists on February 18-20, 2014, on the Maidan. The case is being delayed.
Prosecutor for Maidan cases Denys Ivanov told this in a comment to Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.
The prosecutor said that the court appoints a new hearing every time at long intervals - three, two and one month. At the same time, the defendants' lawyers filed a motion to replace them, and the new ones need time to familiarize themselves with the case.
According to him, the case was sent to court on February 29 last year. In March, a panel of judges chaired by Nataliia Sirenko scheduled a preparatory hearing in the case for June 24 in three months. The court explained that such a deadline was necessary to notify all participants in the process and the victims, who number about a thousand.
"Since the defendants - Yanukovych and his security forces - did not appear at the first court hearing, the hearing was postponed for two months - until August, and then postponed again for another month. Due to the failure of the defendants to appear on September 29, prosecutors were entitled to initiate the conviction of Yanukovych and his security forces in absentia and filed such motions during the subsequent court hearings held in December and January 2025," Ivanov said.
However, in January, two of the defendants' lawyers unexpectedly filed a motion to replace their lawyers because they did not want to have access to state secrets.
The court granted the motion and sent a ruling to the Free Legal Aid Center to engage new defense lawyers. The new lawyers needed time to familiarize themselves with the case file.
"On February 11, we finally finished announcing our motion to set the case for trial, to ensure that the indictment complies with the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code and to hold the trial in the absence of the accused. According to the procedural rules, the defendants' lawyers are to be heard on this issue next. On February 18, another defense counsel filed a motion to terminate his powers. He believes that he may have a conflict of interest, as he is defending Yanukovych in another case. The next court hearing is scheduled for March 5. I hope that all the defense lawyers will speak and the preparatory hearing will be over," said prosecutor Ivanov.
