The Murder of Iryna Farion: Court Sentences the Assailant to Life in Prison

The court sentenced a Dnipro resident to life in prison after he was found guilty of murdering Iryna Farion, a civic activist, linguist, and member of the Ukrainian Parliament of the 7th convocation. Prosecutors from the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office proved the defendant’s guilt in court.

The investigation and the court established that on July 19, 2024, in Lviv, near Iryna Farion’s residence, a man shot her with a pistol from a distance of about two meters. The assailant then fled the scene.

Iryna Farion was hospitalized, but doctors were unable to save her life. On the same day, the linguist died as a result of a penetrating gunshot wound to the head.

On July 25, 2024, the suspect was located and arrested at his residence in Dnipro. The following day, he was formally charged.

Prosecutors proved in court that the murder was committed in connection with Iryna Farion’s performance of her civic duty and was motivated by ethnic intolerance.

According to the prosecution’s case, the defendant held views regarding “national discrimination against Ukrainian citizens who speak Russian.”

He believed that Iryna Farion, who was known for her stance in defense of the Ukrainian language and culture, was allegedly dividing national unity.

On this basis, the man formed the intent to murder, which he subsequently carried out by firing a fatal shot.

The man was sentenced to life imprisonment. He has been in custody continuously since his arrest and will remain there until the sentence becomes final.

The defendant was charged with the intentional murder of a person in connection with the performance of her civic duty and motivated by national intolerance, as well as the acquisition, carrying, and possession of a firearm without the permission required by law — paragraphs 8 and 14 of Part 2 of Article 115 and Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The pretrial investigation was conducted by investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast. Operational support was provided by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast, the Cybercrime Prevention Department in Lviv Oblast, the Strategic Investigations Department in Lviv Oblast, and the Security Service of Ukraine.

However, the court’s verdict has not yet become final. It may be appealed.

The verdict will become final after the deadline for filing an appeal has passed, provided no appeal is filed.

This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

On September 17, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Lviv concluded the court proceedings in the case of the murder of linguist Iryna Farion. Afterward, the panel of judges retired to the deliberation room to render their verdict.

On the second anniversary of the death of linguist and Member of Parliament of the 7th convocation Iryna Farion, her daughter Sofia Osoba published a poignant video message. She shared family memories, spoke about a family tradition, and expressed words of love and gratitude to her mother.

As a reminder, the defendant accused of Farion’s murder will be assigned a public defender.

The defendant in the Faryon murder case refused to testify in court.