On Friday March 25, the Appeal Court of Naples rejected the Russian Federation’s request to extradite the Ukrainian theater director Yevhen Lavrenchuk.
Lavrenchuk, 39, was arrested in Naples on Dec. 17, 2021, following an INTERPOL alert placed on him at Russia’s request. He was subsequently put under house arrest, then released pending the Court’s decision on extradition.
The Naples Appeal Court refused extradition to Russia on the grounds that Lavrenchuk risked “being subjected in Russia to cruel, inhumane, or degrading punishments or treatments, or [to treatments] constituting a breach to fundamental [human] rights”. This, according to the Italian law – ex art. 698 Code of Criminal Procedure – rules out passive extradition.
On his release, Lavrenchuk was interviewed by the Kyiv Post.
KP: Congratulations, Yevhen. At the end of this ordeal, how would you assess the way you’ve been treated in Italy?
YL: Well, I met a lot of wonderful people. My lawyers, Alfonso Tatarano and Roman Semenyuk are great professionals and human beings. I also want to thank Maksym Kovalenko and Vasyl Shvets of the General Consulate of Ukraine in Naples. They supported me when I was in jail and then when under house arrest. It’s true, I was confident my fate would be fine because this happened in Italy, which is a European country, and where there is respect for human rights.
KP: Did you ever fear the Court could approve your extradition to Russia?
YL: That would have been the worst-case scenario. I was confident it wouldn’t happen, and my lawyers assured me that it would be impossible given that the charges against me were obviously politically motivated. But, somewhere in my heart, I felt I could expect anything after the absurdity of this sudden arrest. So, yes, some part of me felt as if anything could happen.
KP: How did you respond to the current war Putin has waged against your country?
YL: Well, this war was not unexpected for Ukrainians. We knew there was a danger of this since 2014, with the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. It wasn’t unexpected for us at all.
KP.: Do you think your case has played a part in current relations between Italy and Russia?
YL: I would say my case is a small part of a bigger picture. We’re experiencing a major confrontation and my case does not hold particular significance. It’s the functioning of INTERPOL that is more significant. Russia is using INTERPOL as an instrument for prosecuting dissidents abroad and I hope my case has helped the world to open its eyes to what’s happening.
KP: Do you plan to do something about it?
YL: Definitely. I want to initiate a movement involving people from civil society from the arts and culture, to pressure the INTERPOL General Secretariat not to allow it to be used as an instrument of political prosecution. Did you know that, among all the “Red Notices” issued by INTERPOL, 40% are at the Russia’s request?
KP: What are your future plans?
YL: I want to put maximum effort into my campaign to stop the abuse of INTERPOL by Russia. And I want to come back to theater as soon as possible. Theater is my life and it’s what I know. I want to start a thematic project about the war and use theater to build a sense of conscience and to foster peace. I want to help people overcome the shock of war atrocities, and to understand and to channel this suffering in a constructive way. I will stay in Italy for a while before going to Poland to begin my projects.
KP: Finally, Sunday, March 27, is “World Theater Day.” Your thoughts?
YL: Now, and in this difficult situation, we have an actor as President of our country. He’s been belittled because of his profession, but I would never joke about it. Actors’ skills are very useful and there is much affinity with politics, especially public speeches and debates. Think about how well President Zelensky is doing now. I think his being a professional actor helps him a lot in such a difficult role. I’m sure his former profession is a big plus for him, which bolsters his capability and credibility.
