A member of the occupation election commission in the Kherson region was sentenced to six years in prison

A court found a resident of the village of Dudchany in the Kherson region guilty of collaboration for participating in an illegal referendum during the Russian occupation.

According to the court’s verdict, in September 2022, the woman, together with representatives of the occupying authorities, participated in conducting an illegal vote.

She went from house to house among local residents, showed representatives of the occupying authorities where people lived, and assisted in collecting ballots and using a portable ballot box.

During the trial, the defendant did not admit guilt. She stated that she acted out of fear of armed Russian soldiers and was also trying to obtain assistance for her seriously ill husband.

The court examined witness testimony and other evidence and concluded that the woman voluntarily facilitated the organization of illegal voting in the occupied territory.

The prosecutor requested that the woman be sentenced to eight years in prison, with a 15-year ban on engaging in activities related to the electoral process and referendums, and the confiscation of all her property.

The judges partially granted the prosecution’s requests. The woman was sentenced to six years in prison and barred for 15 years from engaging in activities related to the organization and conduct of elections and referendums. The court did not order the confiscation of her property.

Ксенія Філіпчук