Инна Кардаш. Фото из Facebook
A court in Kyiv was unable to begin hearing the criminal case against Belarusian journalist Ina Kardash, who is charged with espionage, Radio Svaboda reported.
Under Ukrainian judicial procedure, the court first holds a preparatory hearing to determine whether the indictment complies with Ukrainian law before scheduling a hearing to consider the case on its merits.
According to Radio Svaboda, the preparatory hearing took place, but the Kardash case contains a large amount of classified material. The judge randomly assigned to hear the case does not have the required security clearance, prompting him to ask the court’s leadership to appoint another judge or a panel of judges with the necessary access.
At the same time, the court granted the prosecution’s request to extend Ina Kardash’s pretrial detention until Aug. 16. Kardash’s lawyer had requested that she be transferred to house arrest.