First appeared at Stalkerzone
The well-known Lithuanian public figure Jurijus Subotinas is threatened by prison for criticising the authorities in power, denying the so-called Soviet occupation, and for appeals to live in peace with Russia. This was reported by the correspondent of Rubaltic.ru.
The position of Jurijus Subotinas, who is, in addition, the chairman of the independent public organization “Union of National Unity of Lithuania”, is contrary to the in-effect course of the authorities and State propaganda, where Russia is positioned as enemy No 1.
At the end of last year the Vilnius district court found him guilty under Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania (“Incitement against Any National, Racial, Ethnic, Religious or Other Group of Persons”), which law enforcement authorities successfully adjusted for this specific case.
67-year-old Jurijus Subotinas was punished for publicly expressing his opinion. In a discussion on social networks he wasn’t afraid to encroach on the “sacred”: he declared that no Soviet occupation existed, and Russia is not the enemy of the State, but a country that is friendly to Lithuania.
The main source of the discontent of the vigilant patriots, who complained to the Prosecutor’s Office, is the following comment:
“Thank you Stalin, Sniečkus, and Soviet power! Those who don’t like to be together with Russia — get the f*ck out of Lithuania! Suitcase — train station — London toilets!”
“Us and Russians have to be together”.
“Only Russian tanks will return the Lithuanian’s desire to live. So it was in 1940, so it will be now!” wrote Subotinas in a post on Facebook, referencing the problem of high mortality, low birth rates, and the mass emigration of residents of Lithuania abroad.
Besides this, Jurijus Subotinas calls “Sąjūdis” and the patriarch of the Lithuanian conservatives Vytautas Landsbergis “pseudo-communists”, and says that “if Russians really will enter Lithuania, then they will be greeted as hero-liberators — with flowers and bread-salt, like what happened in June, 1940”.
The Vilnius district court found Subotinas guilty and sentenced him to a fine of €1883. The verdict of the court sounded as follows:
“J. Subotinas’s statement testifies to disrespect for the memory of those who perished and those who suffered because of Soviet repression. It ennobles the repressive actions of the USSR and belittles the operating political system of Lithuania”.
Based on the verdict it is possible to draw a conclusion that the court frankly recognized Subotinas’s guilt: he opposes the in-effect course of the Lithuanian authorities.
Jurijus Subotinas in the courtroom expressed indignation at such a verdict, declaring that he lives “in a criminal State built on lies”, that’s why this decision means absolutely nothing to him. Subotinas left the courtroom before the judge Regina Pocienė had finished reading the guilty verdict.
Despite the fact that the story came to an end almost a year ago, its details became available to the public again. The matter is that Jurijus Subotinas refused to pay the fine at all and didn’t admit guilt. As a result, police officers were going to arrest his property, but found nothing, therefore the public figure came into the view of prosecutors again.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that this year “not-indifferent citizens” reported new “violations” by Subotinas. Among them — calls to unite with Russia, promises to fight in Donbass on the side of the self-proclaimed Republics, and also “frank recognitions of sympathy for the Russian President Vladimir Putin”.
Prosecutors listened to the vigilant patriots, studied the calls in detail, and attached them to the old case. Considering all the circumstances: refusal to pay the fine and the impossibility to arrest property — Jurijus Subotinas is now threatened with prison. Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania (“Incitement against Any National, Racial, Ethnic, Religious or Other Group of Persons“) as a last resort prescribes punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to two-three years.
As Subotinas told the analytical Rubaltic.ru website, he isn’t going to tolerate “totally political punishment”, and will fight.
If this can’t be achieved in the Lithuanian courts of justice, Subotinas will make an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
It is important to emphasize that the Vilnius district court — the court of first instance — initially found Subotinas not guilty, motivating their decision by the fact that the citizen of Lithuania has the right to have his own opinion, as freedom of speech is recorded in the country’s constitution.