The Russian court could extend the period of detention for Roman Sushchenko, the Ukrainian reporter, detained in Moscow last year as a ‘spy’. Sushchenko’s lawyer Mark Feygin said that in his commentary for 112 Ukraine TV channel.
‘They had extended the arrest period several times now, meeting the prosecutors’ requests. However, the court seems to have no arguments against our appeals to choose a different and a softer pre-trial restriction – such as house arrest. This is a good basis for further appeals to the European Court for Human Rights,’ the lawyer said.
Roman Sushchenko, the Ukrainian reporter and Ukrinform agency correspondent was detained in Moscow in September 2016. The journalist was charged with espionage; Russia’s FSB claimed that Sushchenko allegedly worked for Ukraine’s military intelligence, which the Ukrainian side denied.
The current detention period expires on April 30.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry decisively protests against the detention of another Ukrainian citizen in Russia, considering it a political case.
