Buzyna Murder Suspects Forced to Give DNA Samples

On July 12, Andriy ‘Manson’ Medvedko and Denys Polishchuk, who are suspected of the murder of journalist Oles Buzyna were beaten in the building of Kyiv prosecutor’s office, Batkivshchyna MP Igor Lutsenko reported on his Facebook page.

"Police officers, prosecutor’s office employees and even two doctors beat Andriy Medvedko and Denys Polishchuk, as they tried to forcibly collect blood and saliva samples for DNA testing, which the latter refused to do," Lutsenko informed.

"This Tuesday, the suspects were summoned to the prosecutor’s office where they ‘got trapped.’ Around 100 ‘Cord’ masked special police officers pushed their attorneys away from the suspects, and Medvedko with Polishchuk were heavily beaten," he adds. He alleges that the two men were taken to hospital, as they received serious injuries.

The official website of Kyiv prosecutor’s office reports: "On July 12, upon the decision of Pecherskyi District Court in Kyiv biological samples were forcibly collected from Andriy Medvedko and Denys Polishchuk who are suspected of the murder of Oles Buzyna. This action was necessary because the suspects consistently refused to provide biological samples."

The prosecutor’s office website claims that the biological samples were collected in "the least invasive way possible, with due respect to the dignity of the suspects." The biological tests will be made in an alternative laboratory to prove impartiality of investigation and to follow legitimate procedures, it says.

Denys Polishchuk and Andriy Medvedko, who are suspected of the murder of Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzyna on April 16, 2015, have been in custody since December 2015. Later on, the measure of restraint for them was changed to house arrest and personal recognizance, respectively.  

Source: Oleksandr Shumilin, Ukrayinska Pravda