Monitoring of the case on charges of Konstantin Chernyshov (session 12/23/19)

On December 23, 2019, a hearing was held in the Ordzhonikidze district court of Kharkov in the case of Konstantin Chernyshov, accused of committing criminal offenses under Part 1 of Art. 111 (encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine), part 1 of article 263 (illegal handling of weapons) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to information provided by the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU), the inspector of the response sector of the patrol police, captain K. Chernyshov, was recruited in 2014 by the special services of the Russian Federation and transmitted information that is a state secret.

A sentencing was scheduled for December 23, 2019. At the start of the hearing, the clerk said the verdict was being written. But later it became known about the change in the vector of state prosecution.

In accordance with the agreements between the uncontrolled territories of the Eastern region of Ukraine and Ukrainian government, the simultaneous release (exchange) of persons is planned. To fulfill the goals, the prosecutor filed a motion to change the measure of restraint from detention to a personal obligation.

This was probably an absolute surprise even for the judges. Their decision was scheduled for 12/26/2019. But, subsequently, the session was canceled. And K. Chernyshov was included in the exchange process with the LPR-DPR.

The International Society for Human Rights will continue to monitor and clarify the details of the case of K. Chernyshov, including the question of what kind of decision the court will make, taking into account the exchange procedure.