Farion murder: verdict announced for Zinchenko – life imprisonment
Lviv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court has announced its verdict for Viacheslav Zinchenko, who was charged with the murder of linguist Iryna Farion.
This is reported by Censor.NET.
Verdict
Zinchenko denied his guilt during the court proceedings and refused to testify four times.
Judge Petro Nevoit announced the verdict.
Zinchenko was sentenced to four years in prison under the article on unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives, and to life imprisonment under the article on intentional murder.
"Pursuant to Article 70(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for the less severe sentence to be absorbed by the more severe sentence, impose a sentence of life imprisonment on Viacheslav Fedorovych Zinchenko. The sentence shall run from the date of his detention on July 25, 2024," he said.
The prosecution had requested this sentence.
The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that, during the trial, the prosecution proved that the man committed the murder in connection with the victim’s performance of her civic duty and was motivated by national intolerance.
"In particular, the convicted man held views alleging ‘national discrimination against Ukrainian citizens who speak Russian’.
He perceived Iryna Farion, known for her public stance in defence of the Ukrainian language and culture, as someone who allegedly ‘divides national unity’.
This led him to form the intent to commit murder, which he subsequently carried out by firing the fatal shot," the Prosecutor General’s Office added.
The murder of Iryna Farion
As a reminder, on the evening of 19 July 2024, an unknown assailant shot Iryna Farion on Masaryk Street in Lviv.
According to local social media posts, the shooter was seen by neighbours. The man who shot Farion was aged between 20 and 25. He was waiting for her by the exit, carrying a pistol without a silencer, and was wearing gloves.
Doctors operated on Farion, but were unable to save her life.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that law enforcement officers were considering several possible motives for the murder, including personal animosity and Farion’s public and political activities.
Law enforcement officers have published photographs and a description of a man who may be involved in Farion’s murder.
On 25 July, President Zelenskyy announced the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Iryna Farion. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko believes that the suspect may only have been the perpetrator.
On 26 July, the Halytskyi District Court in Lviv remanded an 18-year-old resident of Dnipro in custody for two months without the right to bail.
Subsequently, the lawyer lodged an appeal against the pre-trial detention order. Zinchenko’s pre-trial detention order was upheld.
The case concerning Farion’s murder has been reclassified, and the suspect, Zinchenko, faces life imprisonment.
On March 24, defendant Viacheslav Zinchenko said he was going on a hunger strike, citing the disappearance of exercise equipment – "wall bars" – that had been delivered to him at the pretrial detention centre.
