Ukrainian Prosecutor insists on 14 years imprisonment for Brazilian citizen suspected of fighting on DPR side
The press service of the Kyiv Prosecutor Office announced that the prosecutor requested to sentence the Brazilian citizen Rafael Lusvarghi to 14 years in prison on charges of participating in the battles in the Donbas together with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) militants.
On March 19, the Pavlohrad district court in the Dnipropetrovsk region held another hearing in the Lusvarghi case. He is charged with participating in terrorist organizations and non-statutory armed groups.
During the debate, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of the involvement with illegal armed groups. However, he denied his involvement with terrorist organizations.
After hearing both parties, the court extended Lusvarghi’s detention until May 16. The Brazilian citizen will deliver his final plea during the next ´meeting scheduled for May 2.
Previously, Rafael Lusvarghi had informed separatist media that he fought in the Donbas on the DPR side.
On October 6, 2016, Lusvarghi was detained by the SBU officers at the Kyiv Boryspil airport while trying to enter Ukraine.
In January 2017, the court sentenced Lusvarghi to 13 years in prison. However, in August, the Kyiv Court of Appeal overturned the sentence due to procedural violations.
In December 2017, Lusvarghi’s detention was replaced by a preventive measure, and he was released in exchange for his personal guarantees for a period of two months.
The prosecutor in the Lusvarghi case, Igor Volk, in his comment to Radio Liberty stated that the Brazilian was released in December 2017 for the prisoners’ exchange. Lusvarghi was placed under the protection of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
On May 4, Lusvarghi was captured by the Ukrainain right-wing radicals and delivered to the SBU building.