|
World Jewish News
Lithuanian Court Finds College Student Simonas Zhyaymis Guilty of Inciting Ethnic Hatred and Discrimination
06.03.2009
The court deprived him of the right to go out at night for six months. By the court's decision, Simonas Zhyaymis is obliged to stay at home from 10 pm until 6 am, except the time when he is busy at work or at school.
On March 11 last year, Zhyaymis participated in the so-called march of the skinheads, which was held in the capital of Lithuania, on Gediminas Avenue.
From the video material, presented as evidence, it is clear that Zhyaymis was singing "Good is Lithuania without Russians." Representatives of the task forces considered his words as incitement to ethnic hatred.
Zhyaymis did not agree with the charges against him and argues that he only sang patriotic songs.
Earlier Zhyaymis had already been fined for around 3000 Litas, but the defendant appealed against his sentence at the open sitting of the court.
As reported by the Lithuanian media, on March 11 last year, participants of the skinheads march went down the Gediminas Avenue, carrying Lithuanian banners and chanting: "Lithuania – for Lithuanians," "Good is Lithuania without Russians," "Kill this Jew," "Yuden – Rous, Rous, Rous, shalalalala."
Of the 6 participants of the march who were punished, one, the volunteer of the Region's protection forces Paulus Pyatsyulyavichus, has been acquitted.
The problem of skinheads is still acute in Lithuania. When the first gathering of skinheads in Lithuania in 1999 was attended by a few people, no one paid attention to it. If it were not for the press, the skinhead sally in Vilnius on March 11 - the day of Lithuania's independence – would not get publicity. Procession of the skinheads was less organized, but more emotional – there were requirements to deal shortly with the Russians and Jews. Just a month later, a Lithuanian armed forces servicewoman, who turned out to be a member of a nationalist group, attacked and beat the black South African singer Bernini near the church of St. Anne.
Today, their tactics have changed. Now the Nationalists are preparing the legal basis for their illegal actions. Skinheads and the leaders of a number of Lithuanian parties loudly demand the abolition of article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania "On inciting ethnic hatred." There are also statements about coming to power by means of democratic elections, and stifling this very democracy.
All this is transferred to the Internet. The helplessness of authorities in virtual space unleashes openly criminal utterances. Most insults to other nations and races sound in the comments on the leading news portals. Replicated are the 'commandments' of the new nationalist organization, which include almost everything: from Hitler's threats "to deal with bureaucracy" to the recently coined "stimulating of fertility in Lithuanian families."
And more and more cases of inter-ethnic strife in Lithuania are registered each year. According to the law enforcement authorities of Lithuania, in 2006, 17 pre-trial proceedings were instituted for the public attacks on ethnic grounds. In 2007, such cases already numbered 32, but only the first half of last year had about 40 of them.
|
|
