No strict punishment for lynch law: “arsonist’s” murders got from 2 to 5 years (Photo)

It is probable connected with the fact Lukashenka defended the criminals.

On April 14, the Homel region court delivered a judgement to four dwellers of Pukhavichy village of the Zhytkavichy district in the case of a murder of their village mate Mikalai Makarevich, suspected by them of arsons in the village.

Syarhei Alifyarovich is sentenced to five years of imprisonment in a medium security penal colony, Ihar MAkarevich – to three years of imprisonment in a medium security penal colony. Alyaksandr Petruchenya and Tatsyana Yukhnevich got two years of restraint of liberty.

The court found them guilty of a murder (article 139, part 2). This article provides from 8 to 25 years of imprisonment, or life sentence, or capital punishment.

The court used article 70 of the Criminal Court (less strict punishment than it is provided for an offence).

In January 2009, Alyaksandr Lukashenka defended the accused in public. They were released from the pre-trial detention center and were kept under home arrest before the trial.

After Lukashenka’s statement in favour of the lynch law, pro-governmental “Sovetskaya Belorussia” newspaper and the state television joined the propaganda campaign.

As it was found out during the court proceedings, murdered Mikalai Makarevich committed only two arsons and served a term in prison for this. The militiamen questioned said there were no complaints at Makarevich. Besides, dwellers of the village condemned the murder of a human being. Before the trial they sent a letter to Lukashenka asking to prosecute the killers to the fullest extent of the law.