The court of the Italian city of Naples has made a final decision on the release of Ukrainian director Yevhen Lavrenchuk. In December 2021, Lavrenchuk was illegally detained at the request of Putin's Russia for extradition.
Accordin to Human Rights Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada Lyudmila Denisova, the court found the accusations against Lavrenchuk on the part of the Russian Federation fabricated, and the motives for the persecution political.
“The court of Naples has ruled to release Ukrainian citizen Yevhen Lavrenchuk, illegally detained in Naples in December 2021 at the request of Russia for his extradition, recognizing the accusations against him fabricated by Russia and the motives of persecution - political,” said the Ombudsman.
"As a result of this appeal, information about Yevhen Lavrenchuk, a citizen of Ukraine, who was processed in Interpol's accounts at the request of the National Central Bureau of Interpol in the Russian Federation was removed due to their inconsistency with Article 3 of the Interpol Charter. The article prohibits intrusions, which are political, military, religious or racial in nature," Denisova said.
The court of Naples stopped the proceedings and released Yevhen Lavrenchuk.
"My local victory! I am free, finally," Yevhen Lavrenchuk commented on his dismissal. He thanked everyone who saved him.
"Let my victory become a small brick in the victory of Ukraine!", - summed up the Ukrainian director.
Ukrainian theatre director and former chief director of the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre Yevhen Lavrenchuk was detained in a Naples pre-trial detention centre due to the request for his extradition to Russia. Russia blames Lavrenchuk for the financial violations he allegedly committed in the country. According to a Russian court ruling in July 2020, Lavrenchuk was charged with financial abuse in Russia eight years ago. At that time he worked as the artistic director of the Polish Theatre in Moscow.
On December 13, 2021, Lavrenchuk announced on his Facebook page that he was starting collaboration with the Israeli company Jerusalem Lyric Opera Studio & Festival. On December 15, he flew from Tel Aviv to Lviv with a transfer to Naples. He had a ticket to Ukraine on December 17, but was detained at the airport at the request of the Russian side for extradition.
On January 21, it became known that the artist was transferred from an Italian pre-trial detention centre under house arrest.
Yevhen Lavrenchuk is a Ukrainian theatre director. At the age of 16, he went to Russia to study, where his compatriot, director Roman Viktyuk, was taking a course. After studying, Eugene created the Polish Theatre in Moscow, where he worked. In 2014, he left Russia to protest against military aggression. For three years he worked as the main director of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre, and also had other projects in various theatres. He is a winner of the Lesya Kurbas State Theater Prize of Ukraine for staging the opera "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi.