Court in Prague sentences Russian "self-defense" activist Franchetti to 5 years in prison - media
Kyiv • UNN
Aleksander Franchetti, a member of the 'Sevastopol self-defense', was sentenced to 5 years in prison and deportation from the Czech Republic for 10 years.
In Prague, a court sentenced a Sevastopol "self-defense" activist, Oleksandr Franchetti, to five years in prison. According to Radio Prague, part of the punishment is deportation from the Czech Republic for ten years, UNN reports.
Details
According to the publication, the verdict is not final. Initially, the prosecutor requested ten years in prison and permanent deportation for the man. Franchetti did not take part in the hearing because he left the country and is now being prosecuted as a fugitive.
Czech police arrested Franchetti in September 2021 at Vaclav Havel Airport on the basis of a Ukrainian warrant. The Prague Municipal Court then authorized the man's extradition, but this decision was overturned by the Supreme Court. In March 2023, it became known that Franchetti managed to leave the Czech Republic. In an interview with the pro-Russian website ForPost, the defendant said that he and his lawyers had misled the Czech court.
According to the Myrotvorets website, in 2014, Franchetti came to Crimea, joined the illegal armed group Sevastopol Self-Defense, and then organized another illegal armed group, the North Wind reconnaissance group. Franchetti was awarded the medal "For the Return of Crimea".
