The Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv has partially granted the motion by lawyers of Andrii Antonenko, a war veteran charged with the murder of a prominent journalist Pavel Sheremet, ruling to release him from custody for a 24/7 house arrest, with a mandated ankle monitor.
The indictee has been prohibited to leave the place of his residence until June 29 inclusive, the judgment says, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Read alsoSheremet murder: Leaked comms allege plot by Belarusian KGBThe court also ordered Antonenko to hand in his passport for foreign travel.
The court ordered the police to release Antonenko from custody immediately, bringing him to the police station to put on an ankle monitor before bringing him home.
Following the court hearing, Antonenko offered almost no comment on the court judgment, noting that first of all he wanted to see his family.
"What can I say? This is a small victory in a larger battle, while victory in a big war is yet to come. I'd like to thank my lawyers, my family, friends, and everyone who supported me. Let's talk later, it's just that I'm emotionally overwhelmed, and I want to be with my family," Antonenko told reporters.
Pavel Sheremet murder case: Background
- The journalist was assassinated in a car blast in the center of Kyiv on July 20, 2016.
- On December 12, 2019, police said they were suspecting five persons of complicity in the crime: former Donbas war volunteer and musician Andrii Antonenko, army volunteer and pediatric surgeon Yulia Kuzmenko, and Yana Duhar, a nurse with an air assault unit.
- Kuzmenko is under round-the-clock house arrest wearing an ankle tracker, while Duhar has been assigned to additional procedural obligations.
