[fse-esf] URGENT: Call for Solidarity with A. Paleckis, Lithuania

[Mirek Prokes]

PUBLIC CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH ALGIRDAS PALECKIS 

A. Paleckis condemned to pay a fine for his opinion – breach of freedom of 
speech 


The Vilnius district court of Lithuania fined Algirdas Paleckis, the chair 
of Lithuania‘s Socialist People‘s Front, with a fine of around 3000 euro 
for his opinion about the events of January 1991 in Lithuania. He, quoting 
another Lithuanian politician, demanded an independent investigation into 
the case when 14 civilians were killed in a crowd in Vilnius, according to 
the official version by Soviet troopers, while some eyewitnesses as well as 
results of the obduction of some victims bodies report about shots fired by 
snipers from roofs.
The decision has come into force as of the 12th of June 2012. However, A. 
Paleckis can appeal to the last instance in Lithuania – the Supreme Court, 
and then if necessary – to the European Court of Human Rights in 
Strasbourg. However, the fine must be paid by the 10th July.
We call on everyone who cares about freedom of speech to assist Algirdas 
Paleckis in paying a fine of 3000 euros. He was fined just because he dared 
to have his independent opinion on events of January 1991 in Lithuania 
(„own people shooting at their natives“). The repressive government fined 
A. Paleckis via the court procedure.
Thank you in advance!
This is the bank transfer information:
Account owner‘s name: Algirdas Paleckis, IBAN account number: 
LT777010400462070177
Bank: Ūkio Bankas, BIC/SWIFT CODE: UKIOLT2Х
Aim of the transfer: baudai sumokеti (Lith. „Paying a fine“), “baudai 
sumokеti“ must be written so that A. Paleckis is able, later on, to justify 
the received ammount. 

Please sign this solidarity call and protest against that breach of the 
freedom of speech. We don’t want to have any kind of censorship of free 
opinion, neither in Central and Eastern Europe nor elsewhere. The only 
exception may be in case of incitement to hatred, racism and (neo-)nazism. 


First signatories :
Leo GABRIEL, free journalist, Austria
Hermann DWORCZAK, activist in the Austrian Social Forum
Mátyás BENYIK, ATTAC Hungary
Tord BJÖRK, Friends of the Earth Sweden
Mirek PROKEŠ, Alliance of Labour and Solidarity, Czechia 

Other signatures :
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