At the court hearing on May 25, 2021 in the case of Antonenko’s accusation of Sheremet’s murder, the representative of the victims, Oksana Melnyk, declared the entire court of witnesses to be disqualified.
She, acting on behalf of the victims Ms. Prytula and Ms. Sheremet, believed that the jurors were selected in violation of the law, the judges were subject to public pressure, the court did not find out whether the victims spoke Ukrainian, they were not provided with an interpreter, and the court did not postpone the hearing to 04/30/2021 as requested by the applicant.
See the full text of the statement of objection at the link: Objection-from-Avakov
When asked by the court why these circumstances were reported after 9 months of hearing, the applicant said that she had only just learned about them.
Andriy Antonenko’s defense noted that Ms. Melnyk probably works in the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a lecturer at the National Academy of Internal Affairs. She did not answer the question of whether her position was agreed with her clients. Defense attorney Kulyk emphasized that this action is aimed at delaying the process.
Let us recall that Ms. Melnyk previously constantly stated that she was poorly informed about the circumstances of the case, that she did not understand much. Regarding the detention of Andriy Antonenko, the victims’ side relied on the court’s discretion for 9 months, which it has now expressed distrust in, immediately after Mr. Antonenko’s release.
At the hearing on April 30, 2021, knowing that the issue of Mr. Antonenko’s freedom would be considered, this person did not appear and asked for it to be postponed, but the court held a hearing and released Mr. Antonenko from custody.
The jury rejected his challenge.