You're reading: RFE/RL: Ukraine parliament committee green-lights Savchenko arrest

RFE/RL: Ukraine parliament committee green-lights Savchenko arrest

Published March 22, 2018 at 12:37 pm

Ukrainian lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko (2ndL) attends a Parliament session in Kiev on March 15, 2018.Nadiya Savchenko, once hailed as a hero and a symbol of resistance against Russia, has been accused of plotting a terrorist attack against the Kiev parliament, authorities said. Ukraine's General Prosecutor claimed Savchenko had been plotting to destroy the chamber with grenades and mortar launchers and "finish off the survivors with automatic rifles."

Photo by AFP

The Ukrainian parliament’s rules committee has unanimously approved the cancellation of immunity, detainment, and arrest of lawmaker and former Russian captive Nadiya Savchenko, who is accused of plotting a “terrorist” attack on the legislature.

The committee’s March 22 approval of Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko’s request is the first step towards Savchenko’s possible arrest, as the full Verkhovna Rada must now either approve or reject the move.