Lviv court sentences Viacheslav Zinchenko to life in prison for murder of former lawmaker Iryna Farion
A court in Lviv sentenced Dnipro resident Viacheslav Zinchenko to life in prison for the murder of former Ukrainian parliament member Iryna Farion. He had denied the charges.
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Lviv has sentenced Viacheslav Zinchenko, a resident of Dnipro, to life imprisonment for the murder of Iryna Farion, a linguist and former member of Ukraine's parliament. Zinchenko faced charges of premeditated murder and illegal possession of weapons, which he denied.
According to prosecutors, the killing was linked to Farion's civic activities and was motivated by national intolerance. They said Zinchenko believed Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens faced discrimination in the country. Farion, known for her advocacy of the Ukrainian language and culture, was reportedly viewed by Zinchenko as someone who had "divided the nation."
As the verdict was announced, demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse calling for a life sentence to be imposed on Zinchenko.
The 2024 attack
Farion was shot in the head in the courtyard of her home in Lviv on the evening of July 19, 2024. She later died in hospital. The attacker fled the scene before being identified. Farion had previously served in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada during its seventh convocation.
Zinchenko was detained in Dnipro on July 25 on suspicion of carrying out the killing. A court ordered him held in pretrial detention the following day.
