DPR court hands down first death sentence
DONETSK. Feb 12 (Interfax) - One person has been sentenced to death in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Lyudmila Strateichuk, DPR Supreme Court judge and acting chairman of the DPR Military Tribunal, said.
"One such sentence has now been handed down. There are cases that are pending consideration, and they also envisage the death penalty. These cases involve killings and espionage," Strateichuk told reporters on Friday.
She also said the republic's military tribunal has considered two criminal cases against DPR troops, and over 40 are pending consideration.
"The military tribunal has now tried two criminal cases, both defendants are DPR troops. Another 46 cases are pending trial," she said.
The judge said Yevhen Chudnetsov, a member of the Ukrainian ethnic battalion Azov, was sentenced to 30 years in jail.
"The judges sentenced him to 30 years in jail," she told reporters.
She said she believes Chudnetsov should not be included in the lists for prisoner exchange with Ukraine.
"In our opinion, he is a war criminal and should not be subject to exchanges. But if the head of the republic sees fit, he may make a decision to pardon him," the judge said.
According to earlier reports, Yevhen Chudnetsov, a member of the Azov battalion and a resident of Makiivka, surrendered to the DPR in February 2015.
Yuriy Tandit, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, earlier said that Chudnetsov had been put on the lists for prisoner exchange by Ukraine.
