Ex-Deputy Prosecutor General: Iryna Farion's murder should be investigated as terrorist act

He stated this on the Great Lviv Speaks program.

"As for the classification of the actions, I would argue differently. I would classify this case under Article 258, paragraph 3, 'terrorist act,' and this is unequivocal," Holomsha said.

The former investigator emphasized that the issue is about intimidation, which is the purpose of a terrorist attack.

"This is intimidation. Intimidation of Ukrainians who defend their identity and language. Iryna Farion was a linguist who defended the language on all TV channels and in various instances. She was a public figure and a politician. This situation fits exactly into Article 258, paragraph 3," Mykola Holomsha explained.

In contrast, part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine refers to a crime against the life of an individual.

"This is a crime against an individual, while Article 258 addresses crimes against public safety. This crime is much more complex and serious, with a corresponding penalty of 10 to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment," Holomsha summarized.

Mykola Holomsha has investigated several high-profile crimes, including those committed against Ukrainian politicians and public figures. These cases include the death of Viacheslav Chornovil, the abduction and murder of Georgiy Gongadze.

Farion's murder

• On July 19, at about 19:30, an unknown assailant shot Iryna Farion in Lviv. The Lviv regional police confirmed this and reported that a special police operation was underway to detain him.

• Iryna Farion was taken to St. Panteleimon Hospital of the First Territorial Medical Association of Lviv. The woman was in critical condition, late in the evening of July 19, doctors reported that she was in a brain coma and on artificial lung ventilation. Doctors fought for her life to the last.

• On Espreso, Lviv City Council member Andirian Hutnyk provided details of the attempted assassination of Iryna Farion. He said that an unknown young man of 20-25 years old "was wearing some kind of hat". He fired a shot at her head with a firearm, the bullet hit her temple, the shot was from a gun without a silencer.

• Subsequently, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the attack on Iryna Farion was classified as an attempted murder. The Prosecutor General's Office noted that a pre-trial investigation had been launched.

• President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reacted to the attempted murder of Iryna Farion. He said that all the necessary forces of the National Police of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine are involved to establish the circumstances of this crime. "Obviously, any violence deserves only condemnation and everyone who is guilty of this attack must be held fully accountable," Zelenskyy wrote.

• Former MP, linguist and professor at Lviv Polytechnic Iryna Farion died in hospital in Lviv. The shot to her head on the evening of 19 July was fatal.