Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, whom a Russian court earlier convicted for espionage and sentenced to 12 years in a high-security prison, is set to sign a petition for a pardon, human rights activist Mark Feygin has said.
“Roman is ready to submit this paltry paper requesting a pardon. No matter what you will write, the main thing is to end up in Kyiv. He pleaded not guilty and he is not admitting any wrongdoing now, but the petition for a pardon does not absolutely mean that you plead guilty,” Feygin said on Ukrainian television.
In his words, they count on the Ukrainian leaders’ help in pushing the Kremlin to exchange Sushchenko for a Russian citizen, for example, for interpreter Stanislav Yezhov, who is suspected of working for the Russian special services.
Feygin stressed that the most important thing now is that Sushchenko not be sent to serve the term in a remote region of Russia.
The announcement came after the Russia Supreme Court denied Sushchenko’s appeal of the 12-year sentence handed down to him for alleged spying activities.
Sushchenko, who lived in France for over six years while working as a Paris correspondent for the Ukrinform news agency paid numerous visits to Russia, where his relatives live. He was detained in October 2016 on groundless charges of espionage while on a personal trip to Moscow.
On July 4, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penitentiary. The court hearings were held behind closed doors as the case was “classified.” Sushchenko and the Ukrainian government maintain his innocence.
