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Kiev’s court upholds opposition party leader Medvedchuk’s house arrest

Commenting on the court ruling, Viktor Medvedchuk called it politically-motivated
Leader of the Opposition Platform For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk Sergei Bobylev/TASS
Leader of the Opposition Platform For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk
© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

KIEV, July 30. /TASS/. Kiev’s Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a district court ruling to place Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the Opposition Platform For Life party and a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, or national parliament, under round-the-clock house arrest until September 7.

Medvedchuk’s attorneys asked the court to revoke the first instance court ruling, saying that neither any reasons for extending the house arrest nor evidence of his guilt were presented.

Commenting on the court ruling, Medvedchuk called it politically-motivated. "We have just heard not a legal but a political verdict," he said after the court session. He pledged to challenge the verdict.

"All actions will be challenged. We will also challenge the charges (of high treason - TASS) and will go to court to change the measure of restraint. We are not going to give up," he said.

He promised to "continue struggling until the triumph of objectiveness and the actual enforcement of Ukrainian laws."

On July 9, Kiev’s Pechersky district court extended Medvedchuk’s house arrest for two more months, until September 7. Back then, Medvedchuk slammed the verdict as a violation of Ukrainian laws and the Opposition Platform For Life said it had come from the pressure put on the court. The verdict was challenged on July 15.

On May 11, Medvedchuk’s house and the office of his party were searched by police. Later, he was charged with high treason and "violation of laws and customs of war." Medvedchuk condemned the charges as politically motivated and ungrounded.