Court hearing on separate charge against Lutsenko postponed

The court hearing, scheduled for 2 April 2012 into charges against former Minister of the Interior Yury Lutsenko and two other people over alleged unlawful surveillance has been adjourned until 23 April.

The presiding judge, Olena Nedushevska made the decision because Mr Lutsenko had not been brought to the hearing from the SIZO [detention centre] where he has been held in custody since 26 December 2010.

Neither the defence nor the prosecution wished to continue in Mr Lutsenko’s absence.

Yury Lutsenko was apparently not brought to the court because he was on the list at the Court of Appeal.

Following a trial ridden with irregularities and allegations of pressure which were never investigated, and despite expressions of concern from all democratic countries, Yury Lutsenko was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment at the beginning of February this year.

Yury Lutsenko’s application to the European Court of Human Rights over his detention has been scheduled for 17 April 2012.  The Court has announced that the hearing will be public.

The sentence directly snubbed  the resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe which expressed concern over selective justice and questionable trials of opposition figures and warned of possible sanctions if the situation was not resolved.