On Feb. 23, civic activist Serhiy Sternenko was sentenced to seven years in jail on kidnapping charges by a judge who has a huge background of violating ethics standards and possibly the law. It was a political show trial full of legal violations.
Sternenko’s opponents portray him as a far-right radical in an effort to justify the verdict. But this trial is about law and fact, not about him having or not having a questionable background.
We are not stating that Sternenko is guilty or not guilty, and make no assessment of his personality or activism. None of that matters — whoever he is, he deserves a fair and objective trial, not the absurd mockery of justice that he was offered.
The judge in the Sternenko case, Viktor Poprevych, has been vetoed by the Public Integrity Council for violating integrity standards and has no right to deliver justice. On the contrary, he should be investigated for his alleged violations and convicted if found guilty. Ironically, the judge is a fan of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who symbolizes the zenith of totalitarian lawlessness.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that he doesn’t interfere in the Sternenko case doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Yes, he may not interfere in it personally. But if he hired and empowered the people who interfere in the case, and failed to stop them, he is responsible for that interference just as they are.
Zelensky has surrounded himself with people implicated in corruption, as well as ones with pro-Kremlin and anti-EuroMaidan sentiments.
Such people appear to be using their influence on Zelensky to deepen the divide in Ukrainian society and trigger social tension. Whether they are acting in their own corrupt interests or those of the Kremlin is another question.
The Sternenko case is led by prosecutors appointed by Zelensky’s staunch loyalist, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.
Another top official who might be going after Sternenko is Oleh Tatarov, a suspect in a bribery case and Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff. Tatarov was a lawyer for the wife of the man who attacked Sternenko in 2018 and died after he fought back. Now he is in charge of law enforcement at Zelensky’s office and can influence the Sternenko case.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and Odesa Mayor Hennady Trukhanov, who are mired in corruption scandals, also have a stake in the matter: Sternenko has criticized them repeatedly.
It is not just radicals who are protesting against the Sternenko verdict. The protests were triggered by Ukraine’s whole civil society being sick and tired of corrupt officials escaping punishment and critics of such officials being persecuted.
Once again, the Sternenko verdict shows the need for radical and genuine judicial reform. It must include dissolving the current High Council of Justice — a judicial governing body implicated in corruption schemes, according to recordings released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
