No. There was a time when it seemed to me that the Kirovles-1 and Kirovles-2 cases could inspire a novel, something like Kafka’s The Trial. But now it’s clear that what suits us best is a comic book.
I’ve written several times about the insane speed of the hearings. And it seemed like things couldn’t possibly go any further after they even suspended proceedings in the Nemtsov murder case to speed up Kirovles-2.
The case is already heading toward a verdict; we literally have only two or three hearings left. And there were a couple of legitimate pauses in the proceedings. One of them was because Pyotr Ofitserov’s lawyer, Svetlana Davydova, had to travel to a penal colony in Salekhard to see one of her clients. This had been planned long in advance; she submitted the necessary documents to the Kirov court and said she needed two days.
And within a matter of hours—just like that—the colony announces a quarantine, and all visits between inmates and their lawyers or relatives are banned.
After that, the court decides that Ofitserov and I must be brought in by force—as a precaution in case Davydova does leave and we don’t go to a hearing that, in any event, cannot take place without a lawyer.
Against this backdrop—apparently from stress—Petya felt seriously unwell yesterday, and he was hospitalized with suspected acute pancreatitis, which is a nasty and dangerous thing.
I’ll have to go anyway—they’ll bring me in by force—but obviously there won’t be a hearing: the man is in the hospital.
And then this morning comes the news: inspectors showed up at the hospital where Ofitserov had been admitted, and they simply discharged him and threw him out of that wonderful “health care institution” while he was still sick.
I have no idea how he’s supposed to travel in this condition—or how they’ll haul him in under compulsory escort. In any case, it’s clear that the case will be wrapped up by the end of the week, and the judge will retire to deliver the verdict.
They might as well just post the verdict directly on the Kremlin website and save everyone a lot of time and travel money.