OREANDA-NEWS. The Svyatoshinsky District Court of Kiev sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison a Russian State Duma deputy from the Republic of Crimea (former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea) Svetlana Savchenko. According to Ukrainian institution named the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and located in Kiev, she is guilty of high treason.

The court found Savchenko guilty on the grounds that she, being a deputy of the Crimean parliament, participated in meetings of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea at which resolutions “On the Independence of Crimea” and “On the Succession of the Republic of Crimea” were adopted. In addition, Savchenko participated in a meeting of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea which was created, according to the Ukrainian side, illegally. She also voted for the Constitution of Crimea, in concordance with which the peninsula became a part of the Russian Federation.

Savchenko, commenting the decision of Ukrainian court to journalists of Interfax news agency, called it a “tragicomedy.” The parliamentarian believes that the sentence has nothing to do with the law. The deputy stated that she does not intend to appeal the verdict. “This decision is related neither with law nor with common sense in any way. What can be appealed?” Savchenko said.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office opened proceedings under the article on high treason against deputies of the State Duma from the Crimea in September 2016. The investigation began against Ruslan Balbek, Natalia Poklonskaya, Mikhail Sheremet (the deputies who were on the list of United Russia political party), Konstantin Bakharev, Dmitry Belik, Andrei Kozenko, and Svetlana Savchenko (the deputies elected in single-member districts).