Arrest of Tatarsky murder suspect challenged
Lawyers for the Russian woman suspected of killing military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a bomb attack at a St. Petersburg café have filed a complaint against her pre-trial detention.
Darya Trepova’s case is being handled by a district court in Moscow, and last week she was remanded in custody until June 2 as the case against her is prepared.
Her lawyers technically had until Saturday to appeal the ruling, but the paperwork was sent via post and was delivered to the Basmanny court in the Russian capital only this week, its press service explained. Postal communication with the court is permissible, so the status of Trepova’s case was changed accordingly.
The bombing in St. Petersburg happened on April 2 as Tatarsky appeared at event with his followers. Trepova allegedly brought a bomb disguised as a statuette which was presented to the blogger, whose real name was Maksim Fomin. According to footage from the scene, Trepova was present when the device went off. Tatarsky died in the explosion while dozens of others were injured.
Trepova, 26, then reportedly tried to change her appearance in an effort to hide or flee the country, before being arrested the following day. She was charged with terrorist conspiracy and the illegal handling of explosives, and could face up to 20 years in prison. Russian officials have alleged that the mastermind of the assassination was working for the Ukrainian government.
According to a source cited by TASS, Trepova has agreed to cooperate with the investigation and help establish everyone involved in the plot. Some media reports have claimed that she was in contact with a handler, who gave her odd jobs as part of a supposed internship for a future journalism career in Kiev. Becoming acquainted with Tatarsky shortly before his murder was reportedly one such assignment, as was bringing the bomb from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Western officials and organizations of a failure to condemn the assassination of Tatarsky, despite purportedly advocating the safety of journalists. They would rather side with Trepova and “present her as a victim,” Zakharova claimed.
