RFE/RLMon, 11 Feb 2019 17:32 UTC
Vladyslav Manher
The head of Ukraine's Kherson regional parliament is suspected of organizing the killing of anticorruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk last year, prosecutors say.
Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko
wrote on Facebook on February 11 that Vladyslav Manher had been notified of the accusation against him.
According to a document posted by Lutsenko, Manher felt "personal enmity" toward Handzyuk because of her efforts to reveal "illegal deforestation" in the region.Handzyuk, a 33-year-old civic activist and adviser to the mayor of the Black Sea port city of Kherson, died in November -- three months after she was severely injured in an acid attack.Five suspects, including a police officer, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack on Handzyuk.
Her death came amid a
wave of attacks against Ukraine's civic activists, with human rights activists claiming law enforcement agencies have failed to thoroughly investigate the cases and may even be complicit in some of the attacks.
Comment: Update (Feb. 15): The official, Vladyslav Manher, was arrested. He has been charged with organizing a contract murder with "special cruelty."
WATCH: Kateryna Handzyuk died six weeks after making an impassioned video from her hospital bed, in which she listed dozens of attacks on civic activists that police have failed to resolve.
More on the arrest:
The killing outraged Ukraine, with activists accusing the authorities of failing to complete the investigation or identify the mastermind.
Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko said on February 11 that prosecutors had obtained enough testimony from witnesses about Manher's alleged role in Handzyuk's death, adding that the attackers had received "no less than $4,000."
According to a document posted by Lutsenko on Facebook, Manher felt "personal enmity" toward Handzyuk because of her efforts to expose "illegal deforestation" in the region.
If convicted, the 48-year-old Manher could face up to life in prison.
Comment: Update (Feb. 15): The official, Vladyslav Manher, was arrested. He has been charged with organizing a contract murder with "special cruelty."
WATCH: Kateryna Handzyuk died six weeks after making an impassioned video from her hospital bed, in which she listed dozens of attacks on civic activists that police have failed to resolve.
More on the arrest: