Investigator demands UOJ detainees read case materials by junior school norms

Court hearing on the case involving Orthodox journalists. Photo: UOJ

On August 19, 2024, a court hearing took place in the Solomianskyi Court of Kyiv at the request of investigator O. Savenko, in which he asked to limit the time for UOJ journalists and their defenders to review 42 volumes of materials to 19 days.

The lawyer for journalist V. Bobečko explained that in his request, Savenko justified his demands by citing speed-reading norms for elementary school students, which range from 70-90 words per minute. He argued that if schoolchildren can read that fast, then lawyers and journalists should be able to read three volumes of legal text per day without breaks.

This comparison outraged the defense attorney, who considered it disrespectful to both the lawyers and the court.

"What is this? So, he’s comparing me, an experienced lawyer, and my colleagues to elementary school children?" the lawyer asked.

He also stated that no one has seen all 42 volumes together and expressed doubt about their existence.

"Are there materials?" he asked the investigator. Savenko assured him that the materials indeed exist.

As a result of the hearing, Judge Kateryna Zastrozhnykova partially granted the investigator’s request and set the deadline for UOJ journalists and their lawyers to review the materials by October 16, 2024.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the court had limited the time UOJ journalists had to familiarize themselves with the investigation materials.

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