Two penal cases were launched recently by the Prosecutor General of Lithuania against Mr Algirdas Paleckis and his party (Socialist Popular Front of Lithuania).
The charges are the same in both cases - “Paleckis (and party) denied the aggression of the USSR in 1991, belittled crimes done during it and vexed the victims”. The pretext for opening both cases was a radio interview of Mr Paleckis made on 2 November 2010, where he expressed his opinion as follow: “And what happened on 13January at the TV tower? And as it is getting clear now, our people were shooting at our people”.
For his opinion and these two above-mentioned sentences Mr Paleckis risks to be convicted up to two years in prison.
Lithuanian authorities are currently persecuting, intimidating and threatening Mr Algirdas Paleckis for stating his opinion contradicting the official point of view and, thus, violate Mr Paleckis’ right to freedom of expression.
Mr Petrenco,
To ask the Committee of Ministers,