Aliaksandr Lapitski: Lukashenka Takes Revenge On Me For Telling Truth

Court again sent a 80-year-old pensioner to a psychiatric hospital allegedly for "insulting" Lukashenka.

Judge of the Frunzenski district court of Minsk Dzmitry Lukashevich re-sent the pensioner Aliaksandr Lapitski to a psychiatric hospital for compulsory treatment. The court found Lapitski, who was 80 years old, guilty of intentionally insulting Lukashenka, Prosecutor General Aliaksandr Kaniuk and a few prosecutors and judges in public. According to the judge, Aliaksandr Lapitski did that in his e-mails to the officials. The court decided that Aliaksandr Lapitski committed the crimes allegedly in unconscious state, since he “is suffering from mental illness,” and therefore cannot take responsibility for them.

Aliaksandr Lapitski must go through compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital under routine surveillance.

“This is an unfair trial and a personal revenge on me by Lukashenka and his officials. They are taking revenge on me for having suspected that Lukashenka organized the explosion in the subway in 2011, as well as for other critical remarks about him and his officials,” – Aliaksandr Lapitski commented on his sentence to Radio Svaboda and said that he intended to appeal against it within 10 days.

This is already the second decision of the court to send Aliaksandr Lapitski for compulsory treatment to a “nut-box factory.” The former similar decision, which a different composition of the Frunzenski district court made in April, was reversed and sent for retrial after the complaint of the pensioner to the Minsk City Court in June. However, the new Court confirmed the previous decision.

Human rights activist Aleh Vouchak says that Lapitski’s right to protection was violated and that the Belarusian authorities intentionally persecute the pensioner.

“The regime doesn’t like criticism and fears it; therefore it crushes anyone who criticizes it. They are not very successful with Lapitski as he is a very educated and smart man, besides he is a pensioner. If it were a young man, they would quickly find something to catch him for and would send him to jail “to think about the behavior,” and in this case they haven’t succeeded. That’s why they have chosen a “nut-box factory” for him. As for the new court, it has confused the case even more.

Firstly, the psychiatric examination results have not have not been invalidated, that was why Aliaksandr Lapitski was deprived of his right to defend himself. Secondly, the Court did not examine the original documents, but only their copies, and did not find out what kind of damage had Lapitski allegedly caused Lukashenka and his officials. And the right to express a negative opinion about them is guaranteed by the Constitution. We will continue to fight for Aliaksandr Lapitski, as it’s a fight for our common right to freedom of opinion and expression,” – human rights activist Aleh Volchek said.

According to Aliaksandr Lapitski, his conflict with the top Belarusian officials began after in 1999 he published his book “Behind the Iron Curtain,” in which he quoted Lukashenka's statements about Hitler.