Zinchenko sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of former MP Iryna Farion
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv has sentenced 20-year-old Viacheslav Zinchenko to life imprisonment for the murder of linguist and former MP Iryna Farion.
Source: Prosecutor General's Office; Suspilne
Quote from the Prosecutor General's Office: "Prosecutors from the Lviv Oblast Prosecutor's Office proved in court the guilt of a Dnipro resident who murdered public activist and former Ukrainian MP Iryna Farion. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment."
Details: The Prosecutor General's Office added that during the trial, the prosecution proved that the man had committed the murder "in connection with the victim's performance of a public duty and motivated by ethnic intolerance".
"The convicted man held views about the alleged 'ethnic discrimination against Ukrainian citizens who speak Russian'. He regarded Iryna Farion, known for her public stance in defence of the Ukrainian language and culture, as someone who was supposedly 'dividing national unity'. It was on this basis that he formed the intent to kill her, which he subsequently carried out by firing the fatal shot," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The court also ordered UAH 5 million (about US$111,000) to be paid to Farion's daughter, Sofiia Osoba, in compensation for non-pecuniary damage.
Suspilne reported that Zinchenko denied his guilt, while his most recent lawyer described the case as fabricated.
While delivering the verdict, the judge stressed that Zinchenko had repeatedly been offered the opportunity to speak during closing arguments, but had declined each time because he had not agreed his position with his defence lawyers.
The verdict can still be appealed to the court of appeal.
Background:
- Iryna Farion was killed on 19 July 2024. The attack took place near her home in Lviv. The attacker approached Farion and shot her in the head from a distance of about two metres before fleeing the scene.
- Farion was taken to hospital, but doctors were unable to save her. She died later that day.
- On 25 July 2024, 18-year-old Viacheslav Zinchenko was detained on suspicion of murdering Iryna Farion. He was served with a notice of suspicion the following day.
- On 26 July 2024, a court remanded Zinchenko in custody without the possibility of bail. After the court imposed the preventive measure, he told journalists that he had not killed Farion.
- On 26 December 2024, the legal classification of the charges against Zinchenko was changed: he was suspected of the intentional killing of a person in connection with the performance of a public duty, motivated by ethnic intolerance, as well as the unlawful handling of weapons.
Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.