Lithuania issues suspicion notices to 3 "DPR" militants for the murder of Mantas Kvedaravičius
The Prosecutor's Office of Lithuania has issued suspicion notices to three so-called "DPR" militants for the murder of Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius on April 2, 2022 in Mariupol.
Lithuania's Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė and Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced this at a press conference on February 29, reports Ukrinform.
"This February, three militants from the unrecognized 'Donetsk Republic' were declared suspects of murder and inhumane treatment. At the beginning of the war, a Lithuanian filmmaker who was helping Ukrainian civilians escape Mariupol was murder in the city. This filmmaker was detained and killed (by the occupiers. – Ed.)," said the Lithuanian Prosecutor General.
According to her, there are three suspects in the case of the filmmaker's murder. The investigation continues.
In turn, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine noted that the case was investigated by a joint task force.
"This case is significant for us, as it concerns the aggressor's terrible crimes committed in Mariupol – a city that has become a symbol of the barbarism of the Russian invaders. Three pro-Russia militants are suspected of murdering a Lithuanian citizen, a civilian took no part in the hostilities. Inhumane torture, which included beating, stabbing, broken bones, and a sham firing squad execution which resulted in the man's death," he explained.
Andriy Kostin stressed that identifying the suspects in this brutal murder is important proof that the criminals will not escape justice even if the war crimes are committed in the occupied territories.
As the IMI reported, the death of Mantas Kvedaravičius in Mariupol was reported in early April 2022. Initially, it was said that a missile hit his car. Later, it became evident that he had been captured and killed by the Russian troops.
"Project" journalists found out that the Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius was killed in April while trying to take three women, one of whom had a month-old baby, out of Mariupol. A so-called "DPR" militiaman Pavel Musienko (call sign Pastet) may have been involved in his murder.
The Prosecutor General's Office previously reported that law enforcers were investigating 19 journalist murder cases committed by Russians in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion.
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