24 December 2015, 00:12
At trial, Nadezhda Savchenko's alibi confirmed by defence witness
According to evidence of Olga Vozyakova, a defence witness, Ukrainian aviator Nadezhda Savchenko was captured 1.5 hours prior to the opening of fire by the artillery of the armed forces of Ukraine. Prosecutors claim that the defendant was captured after the start of the shelling.
The case of Nadezhda Savchenko is being considered by the Donetsk City Court since September 22. She is accused of involvement in the murder of two staff members of the All-Russian State TV and Radio Company (known as VGTRK) near the Ukrainian city of Lugansk on June 17, 2014, and illegally crossing the Russian state border. Nadezhda rejects her guilt. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has put Nadezda Savchenko on list of political prisoners.
On December 23, the Donetsk City Court continued the consideration of the criminal case against Nadezhda Savchenko. Advocate Ilya Novikov represented the defence as a solo defender, and on the part of the prosecutors, public prosecutor Pavel Filipchuk did not come to the trial. Maria Ivanovna, the mother of Nadezhda Savchenko, came to the court together with staff members of the Ukrainian Consulate.
Let us remind you that earlier, the defence of Nadezhda Savchenko demanded to attach to the case the astronomical expertise carried out by the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute. On December 23, public prosecutor Dmitry Yunoshev expressed his objections against the defence motion to summon to the trial astronomer Olga Vozyakova, an expert of the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute. However, the judge who chaired the trial allowed questioning the witness.
According to Olga Vozyakova, fighters of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (known as LPR) captured Nadezhda Savchenko 1.5 hours prior to the opening of fire by the artillery of the armed forces of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Nadezhda Savchenko is accused of acting as a spotter for the shelling. According to the public prosecutors, the Ukrainian aviator was captured after 12:00 a. m. Moscow time.
Ilya Novikov, the advocate of Nadezhda Savchenko, believes that the information provided by the astronomer confirms the alibi for his client.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Konstantin Volgin Source: CK correspondent
