A rally of supporters of the former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is held on Friday near the building of the Kiev Court of Appeal in Kiev, where a complaint against a measure of restraint in the form of personal obligations to the ex-head of state will be considered, they demand to cancel the measure of restraint to the politician, RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv had previously released Poroshenko on a personal bond in the case of treason, obliging him to hand over his passports to travel abroad and not to travel outside Kyiv and the region without the permission of the investigator. Poroshenko said he was appealing the court’s decision, as it would interfere with his political activities. Also, the decision of the court was appealed by the State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officers insist on his arrest.
According to the correspondent’s estimates, several hundred people gathered at the rally. They are standing near the entrance to the court yard; law enforcement officers do not let them into the yard directly. Only participants in trials and journalists can enter the territory of the court, presenting supporting documents. Supporters of Poroshenko set up a stage near the entrance to the court, from there they support the politician. They demand that Poroshenko’s appeal be satisfied and that the court cancel any preventive measure against the politician.
The courthouse is guarded by many policemen and fighters of the National Guard. In the courtyard of the court there are several trucks of the National Guard and the police. The atmosphere outside the courthouse is calm.
Poroshenko is suspected of treason and assistance to terrorism in the case of coal supplies from Donbass, he faces up to 15 years in prison. On January 17 he arrived in Kiev from Warsaw. Earlier, the ex-president said that 130 criminal cases were initiated against him, but about 40 of them have already been closed.
The ex-president also has the status of a suspect in the criminal case on the appointment of Serhiy Semochko as deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine – he is charged with abuse of power. Poroshenko appears in a number of other cases, including the appointment of judges, the movement of paintings across the state border, the incident with Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait, and the transfer of land. In these cases, the ex-president has the status of a witness.