On August 14, 2012, in the Leninsky district court of Lugansk Ukraine, the regular hearing Olaolu Sunki Femi – Nigerian student accused of attempted murder-planned 4 people. The basis of the charges – nothing but reading “victims.” Olaolu face life imprisonment.
The meeting lasted about 40 minutes. Board considered a petition Olaolu Femi lawyers to change the measure of restraint. The request is rejected, Femi remains in prison. Immediately after the announcement of the decision, the court adjourned until September 3. That is legally innocent man in prison conditions for another three weeks. Incidentally, it is worth adding that the hearings on the case earlier transferred because the prosecutors and the State Prosecutor six months (!) Could not find a translator from English to the defendant.
THE FULL STORYAfrican Outlook gathered that the Nigerian identified as Olaolu Sunkanmi Femi and one of his friends were physically attacked in front of his apartment by four Ukrainian young men and two women who pulled them to the ground while hurling racist slurs on them.
According to eye witness account, Sunkanmi was said to have managed to get up and defended himself against the assailants with a glass from a broken bottle.
“It was while he was defending himself that police arrived at the scene and the Nigerian was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder of five people” a Nigerian embassy staff who has knowledge of the case told African Outlook, adding that the victim thus became an accused in a case which has become a celebrated case in Ukraine.
Photo 2: Osarumen David-Izevbokun, (R) one of the protest organizers talking to journalistsAfrican Outlook gathered that Olasunkanmi has since been remanded in detention by the Ukrainian police who refused to take the case to court citing unavailability of the police to get an interpreter for him.
But the Nigerian students’ community in Ukraine under the leadership of Osarumen David-Izevbokun, a Phd student in international relations has been working tirelessly to ensure justice for the Nigerian by organizing protests as well as drawing the attentions of the human right groups in Ukraine to the plight of Olasunkanmi who has spent almost seven months in jail without trial.
David-Izevbokun told African Outlook that he alongside other Nigerian students in conjunctions with some members of the Ukrainian human right groups staged a protest on April, 9 outside the Leninsky District Court in Luhanski demanding the release of Olasunkanmi.
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