Court Continues Hearing in the Murder Case of Iryna Farion in Lviv

The latest court session in Lviv regarding the murder of the prominent Ukrainian linguist and political activist Iryna Farion took place with a notable presence of key figures involved in the case. The proceedings included a panel of judges, prosecutor Dmytro Petliovanyi, Farion's daughter, Sofia Osoba, her lawyer Natalia Romanyk, and the defense attorney for the accused, Vyacheslav Zinchenko, Igor Sulima. Another defense attorney, Volodymyr Voronyak, submitted a request for the case to be considered in his absence due to health issues.

At the beginning of the session, Vyacheslav Zinchenko, who is charged with murder, made a motion to include protocols of certain investigative and procedural actions into the case materials. Specifically, he requested an examination and comparison of the dates and times of publications in Telegram channels with the times they were viewed, particularly those mentioning Iryna Farion and the 3rd assault brigade. He believes this could help substantiate his position.

Additionally, Zinchenko requested the inclusion of protocols from investigative actions related to the dates and IP addresses of logins to accounts on websites where, according to the case materials, he had corresponded about acquiring weapons. He stated that this data could indicate possible interference with the accounts after his arrest, which could, in turn, affect the evaluation of evidence.

The accused also sought to include a protocol regarding the examination of surveillance video recordings from a camera located near Farion's residence on July 19, 2024. He contends that these recordings may contain crucial information that could impact the course of the case.

Furthermore, Zinchenko requested to present notes from his phone, which he claims contain critiques of racist views, as well as information about a money transfer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine made shortly before his arrest. He believes this information could refute the allegations of racism and pro-Russian sentiments attributed to him.

The accused also asked for data regarding his calls on social networks from July 19, 2024, which he asserts would confirm his alibi, as well as a photo of his foreign passport. He stated, "I believe the prosecution is manipulating the dates of Telegram channels, the dates of my views, and the data of my interests and downloads. Therefore, I request all of this to be included in the case materials. If it is possible to refute all these interests and cast doubt on all these dates, then the charges and motives simply fall apart."

Following this, the court moved to examine Zinchenko's computer; however, due to technical issues, this could not be accomplished. Instead, the session continued with a discussion of the defense's motion for an additional ballistic examination, which is also a significant step in the case.

As reported by Ukrinform, the assassination attempt on Iryna Farion occurred on July 19, 2024, in Lviv when a man shot at her and fled the scene. Shortly thereafter, she succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, prompting widespread public outcry.

On July 25, the suspect in the murder was apprehended in Dnipro. The Halytskyi District Court of Lviv imposed a preventive measure of detention without the right to bail on July 26 for 18-year-old Vyacheslav Zinchenko from Dnipro. Subsequent court sessions have continued this preventive measure, underscoring the seriousness of the charges.

Iryna Farion (1964-2024) was a well-known Ukrainian linguist, educator, political and public figure, Doctor of Philological Sciences, professor, and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament of the VII convocation (2012-2014). Her tragic death has dealt a significant blow to Ukrainian society, which has lost a prominent figure.

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