Court of Appeal to Examine Evidence in Kateryna Handziuk Case on April 4

The Court of Appeal will continue to consider the case against those accused of ordering the attack on Kateryna Handziuk, focusing on the examination of evidence. The lawyers are trying to prove the innocence of the defendants, but prosecutors insist on the legality of the collected materials.

According to the Miller Law Firm, the defendants' lawyers have written materials that allegedly testify to their non-involvement in the crime.

On April 4, 2025, the Court of Appeal will continue to consider the case against the former head of the Kherson Regional Council Vladyslav Manger and his advisor Oleksiy Levin, who are accused of ordering an attack on Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk. The session will be devoted to the examination of evidence that, according to the defense, should confirm the innocence of the defendants.

At the previous meeting, the court had already reviewed two volumes of case files, including documents related to the actions of the prosecutor's office: the launch of the investigation, the allocation of materials on the perpetrators of the attack, the announcement of one of the suspects on the international wanted list, and the transfer of the case to the SBU due to the inefficiency of the police.

The defendants' lawyers also stated that some of the evidence collected during the investigation was inadmissible, in their opinion. They argue that the merger of the materials was allegedly violated, as they were reviewed by "the wrong prosecutors." The lawyers noted that this indicates that the defendants' lawyers are trying to find formal reasons to overturn the verdict, as they cannot refute the main evidence.

On December 27 last year, the Kyiv Court of Appeal began a hearing in the case of the murder of public activist and MP Kateryna Handziuk. The court continued to consider the appeals of the defendants Vladislav Manger and Oleksiy Levin, planning to consider the defense's motion to question witnesses and re-examine the evidence. The attack on the activist took place on July 31, 2018, and was initially classified as "hooliganism" and later as "intentional grievous bodily harm".

The investigation established that Manger, in prior conspiracy with Levin, organized the attack that led to Handziuk's death. In June 2023, the court sentenced both defendants to ten years in prison and ordered them to pay compensation for non-pecuniary damage to the activist's family in the amount of UAH 15 million.

Анна Бальчінос