Kyiv.Ukraine.Ukraine Gate – November 4,2021- Members of the Verkhovna Rada honored activist Katerina Handziuk at a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Thursday, November 4th.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stevanchuk also suggested observing the activist a minute of silence.
“Today is a very sad date. Today marks three years since the death of Katrina Handziuk,” said the Speaker of Parliament, expressing hope that the case of her murder will be resolved.
After that, parliamentarians stood up to honor Handziuk.
On July 31, 2018, activist Katerina Handziuk poured sulfuric acid near the entrance to her home in Kherson. She sustained burns on 40% of her body. Handziuk underwent several surgeries but died on November 4 of the same year.
Five people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in Handziuk’s murder. Ihor Pavlovsky, former aide to MP Mykola Palamarchuk, was arrested on November 12, 2018.
The Prosecutor’s Office sent Vladislav Manhir, the suspect in the murder of Handziyuk, a notice of suspicion of organizing the murder of Handziuk on February 11, 2019. The court chose a measure of restraint in the form of detention with the possibility of paying a bond of UAH 2,497,300, which was put forward. However, the court then changed the restraint measure on Manher and arrested him, without the right to pay bail.
On June 6, 2019, five direct perpetrators of the attack were sentenced to between three and six and a half years in prison.
Oleksiy Levin, the suspect in the Handziuk murder, was arrested in Bulgaria for orchestrating the acid attack on the activist in January 2020.
On March 16, Levin was extradited from Bulgaria to Ukraine. According to investigators, Levin is a key figure who links the perpetrators to who ordered the attack on Handziuk. He is suspected of being involved in organizing this crime, inciting others to commit it, and providing information about Handziyuk’s place of residence.
On July 28, 2020, the Attorney General’s Office filed an indictment against Manher and Levin for orchestrating the attack on Handziuk.
