Pavlichenko petition goes on White House site

Supporters of Dmytro Pavlichenko and his son Serhiy, convicted last year of the murder of a Kyiv judge, have set up a petition on the US White House site.  The Petition is entitled:  “To free wrongfully convicted Pavlichenko’s to life imprisonment and extend the scope of Magnitsky bill to Ukraine”.

The letter suggests a list of people whom it believes should be refused entry to the US and who should have their accounts frozen in connection with the case.

As reported, there have been protests throughout the country against the convictions and sentences passed ( Dmytro -  life imprisonment and his son - 13 years).  Serhiy Pavlichenko was an active member of the Kyiv Dynamo Ultras and fans have not only come out in support, but have waged a major campaign. 

The prosecution claimed that Dmytro and his son murdered the judge because the latter had passed a ruling on some land against them.  The same judge had, however, been responsible for many land-related rulings, some doubtless treading on the toes of developers by supporting individuals protesting against development projects in the centre of Kyiv.  He was also facing investigation by the High Council of Justice over other rulings. The ruling which the Pavlichenkos allegedly felt aggrieved over had, in any case, been revoked at appeal stage.  Dmytro Pavlichenko had been extremely vocal in publicly protesting his rights. 

There are also a huge number of elements of the case which arouse doubts, including the fact that none of the witnesses recognized Pavlichenko.