 Source: HRO.org (info) Nobel laureate, the Belarusian writer Svetlana Aleksievich, has given her books and a letter of support to the Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, whose trial is taking place in the Rostov region of Russia. Nadezhda Savchenko is recognised as a political prisoner by Memorial Human Rights Centre (Moscow). Svetlana Aleksievich wished Nadezhda Savchenko a speedy release, the BBC reported. “I understand that this is a political trial,” Aleksievich told diplomats and journalists. The Belarusian writer asked that Nadezhda Savchenko be given her books, ‘War has no Woman’s Face’, ‘Zinky Boys’ and ‘Chernobyl Prayer’, noting that she had read Nadezhda Savchenko’s book, given to her at the end of November, and written in prison in Russia. Elected as a deputy of the Ukrainian Rada from the ‘Fatherland’ party, Savchenko is in prison on charges of complicity in the murder of two Russian journalists in Donbass, supposedly as a spotter for the Ukrainian army. According to the investigation, Savchenko was arrested in Russia when she tried to cross the border without documents, disguised as a refugee. Nadezhda Savchenko herself claims to have been illegally abducted by pro-Russian militants before the death of the journalists, and to have been illegally transported to Russia territory with a bag over her head. In protest over her arrest, Savchenko went on a lengthy hunger strike. Her condition caused serious concern among her lawyers and family. Nadezhda Savchenko is recognised as a political prisoner by Memorial Human Rights Centre (Moscow). More details about the Memorial Human Rights Centre’s position on the Nadezhda Savchenko case can be found here. Currently, the trial of Nadezhda Savchenko is taking place in the Donetsk city court, in Rostov region. Nadezhda Savchenko’s defence motion to transfer the trial to Moscow has been rejected by the judge. Translated by Nathalie Corbett |
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