Unknown assailants beat a judge in Dnipro and tried to abduct her

On Friday, March 13, unknown assailants attacked a female judge in Dnipro, beat her, and allegedly attempted to abduct her.

This was reported by the Council of Judges of Ukraine on its website.

According to the statement, the attack was carried out by three men in balaclavas who were traveling in a car without license plates.

They attacked a judge of the Industrial District Court of Dnipro right near the entrance to her apartment building, inflicted serious head injuries, used pepper spray, and tried to force her into the vehicle.

She was saved by her husband, who prevented the attackers from pushing her into the car. He was also beaten.

The judge is currently in serious condition. Law enforcement is investigating the motive.

The Council of Judges said it would look for ways to strengthen judges’ personal security, noting that judges are regularly exposed to conflict due to their professional work, competing interests, and related risks to life and health.

“At the same time, I note that this is perhaps the first such brazen and brutal attack on a judge during the entire period of the full-scale war in Ukraine caused by Russian aggression. Until yesterday, judges were subjected to pressure and threats, and even died due to the aggressor’s armed actions or while defending their country at the front,” the statement said.

The Council of Judges will request restrictions on access to information about judges’ home addresses and those of their family members, and a review of how much judges’ data is publicly available in state registries.

Meanwhile, local media published video footage showing the aftermath of the attack. The author of the video claims that the attackers were representatives of the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (TCC)—this claim has not been confirmed in the Council’s statement.

Police have opened an investigation into the attack. It is reported that two criminal cases have been launched: one for attempted illegal deprivation of liberty (attempted kidnapping/unlawful detention) and one for threats or violence against a judge.