Court moves hearing of Yanukovych treason case to Dec 5

"A break has been announced until 09.00 on December 5," Presiding Judge Vladyslav Deviatko said at a court session on Monday.

At the beginning of the session, Yanukovych's lawyer Oleksandr Horoshynsky filed a petition to postpone the trial because Yanukovych was hospitalized in Russia.

"I ask the court to postpone consideration of the case in view of the impossibility of [Yanukovych's] participation, namely due to his health," Horoshynsky said.

He said that Yanukovych cannot move on his own. "Viktor Fedorovych sustained a spine injury and, in fact, he cannot rise from bed," the lawyer said.

A break was announced in the court session until December 5.

"The court deems it necessary to announce a break so that the defendant could recover and be able to make his last statement to court. If Yanukovych cannot rise from bed, the participants of the trial are informed that the Obolonsky District Court has repeatedly held videoconferences with suspects, defendants and victims who applied to court with testimonies and statements from a hospital bed, so this is not uncommon practice. If Yanukovych cannot recover before the date stated by the court, the court will not consider it as disrespect if the defendant makes his last statement in court, sitting or lying in a hospital bed, if his health does not allow him to stand," the judge said.

Horoshynsky told journalists that Yanukovych had been injured and hospitalized.

"In my opinion, questioning Yanukovych in a lying position, given the high-profile case, would be incorrect," the lawyer said.

Russian media reported on November 18 that former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had been taken to Moscow's Sklifosovsky Hospital. According to reports, Yanukovych was hospitalized on Friday, November 16, on suspicion of sustaining a spine and knee injury during a tennis game.

The hospital's enquiry service told journalists that Yanukovych "was provided with assistance and discharged the same day."

The ex-president is accused of committing crimes provided for in Part 1 of Article 111 (high treason), Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 110 (aiding in intentional actions committed with the goal of changing the boundaries of the territory and the state border of Ukraine), Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 437 (aiding in waging an aggressive war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces up to 15 years of imprisonment.

op