Commenting on the recent death of civic activist Kateryna Handziuk, People's Deputy Anton Gerashchenko (People's Front Party faction) has said that Serhiy Torbin, a former participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation, who is suspected of an assault on her, will receive a life-long sentence if he does not name his contractors.

"Today, after the tragic death of Katia Handziuk, I am saying to Serhiy Torbin who is suspected of murdering her: you will not face a sentence other than a life-long one. There is only one chance for you to avoid it by naming your contractors," Gerashchenko wrote in a post on his page on Facebook on November 4.

He said that in this case, the court will take this into consideration and when the verdict is read out Torbin will receive a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison instead of a life-long one.

Gerashchenko said that the police had detained five people who are suspected of the assault on Handziuk. He said that four of them testified against Torbin as the organizer of the crime.

"It looks like that he had been promised by his lawyers to receive five to six years sentence for keeping silent because Katia had been still alive until recently and that he would be able to get an early release in three years," Gerashchenko said.

As was reported earlier, the acting chief of administration of the Executive Committee of the Kherson City Council, an advisor to the mayor of Kherson, and civic activist Kateryna Handziuk passed away on November 4 as a result of an assault on her last July.