The organizer of the election commission for the pseudo-referendum in the Kherson region has been sentenced

PHOTO: Intent/AI

A native of the city of Kherson was convicted in absentia for voluntarily assuming the position of so-called representative of Precinct Election Commission No. 301—specifically, that of secretary—during the illegal referendum on the Kherson region’s secession from Ukraine. The woman was sentenced to nine years in prison and barred from holding any position in state authorities, public administration, or local self-government. She was also banned from engaging in activities related to the electoral process and the referendum process for 15 years, with the confiscation of all her property.

This is stated in the verdict of the Kherson City Court.

The investigation established that the defendant organized an illegal referendum in the town of Komyshany, Kherson District, Kherson Oblast. Specifically, she:

organized and supervised the work of members of Precinct Election Commission No. 301;
compiled so-called voter lists and supervised the commission’s handling of other election documentation;
received and was responsible for the storage of ballots;
posted campaign materials promoting the need to hold the so-called referendum;
organized the placement of voting booths and materials bearing Russian Federation symbols on the premises of Kherson Specialized School No. 12 (Grades I–III) with an in-depth study of the French language;
carried out other actions aimed at organizing and conducting the illegal referendum.

Witnesses identified the organizer of the sham election. In particular, residents of the building where she lived spoke about her participation in the illegal referendum, as well as about the television broadcast of events in which she took part. Another person who worked with the convicted woman testified that she communicated freely with Russian military personnel and shared personal accounts of her involvement in organizing the sham referendum. A cleaning woman at the trolleybus depot also testified; on the director’s orders, she had been assigned to work as a cleaner at a polling station for four days. She stated that she saw the convicted woman there every day.

On September 27, 2022, the so-called “election commission” recognized the illegal referendum as having taken place. It was reported that 497,051 citizens (87.05% of the total number of voters who participated in the vote) voted in favor of the Kherson region becoming part of the Russian Federation.

Earlier, a Ukrainian court had found two men guilty of collaboration and sentenced them in absentia; during the occupation of Kherson, they had actively participated in organizing and conducting the illegal Russian referendum. In September 2022, one of the convicted men assumed the position of the so-called chair of a precinct election commission (PEC), while the other became its “representative” in the Suvorov district of Kherson.

Юлія Калабайда

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