A. Genovaitei Astrauskaitei, who organized the protest action that ended in riots, was previously sentenced to a suspended sentence of two years and two months imprisonment. Laura Leščinskaitė was also completely acquitted.
Meanwhile, A. Kandrotas was sentenced to four years in prison by the first instance court. The district court removed the aggravating circumstance of recidivism, leaving the same sentence in effect.
The appellate court confirmed the guilt of most of the convicted, leaving their previously imposed sentences in place.
BNS wrote that Andrejus Lobovas, a participant in various protests, was previously sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence. Fighter Arnoldas Misiūnas was sentenced to one year and 11 months of suspended imprisonment.
The actions of one woman were requalified as resistance to the police, and she was given a restriction of liberty. Vaclavas Kiselis was completely acquitted, Arvydas Jasaitis was acquitted of riots but found guilty of illegal possession of a weapon.
The decisions of the district court remained in effect for them.
The court granted the appeal of the convicted Kristina Baranovskienė, releasing her from liability under bail.
This case was heard in the Vilnius District Court by a three-judge panel chaired by Audrius Cininas, also composed of Ramūnas Keidūnas and Mindaugas Ražanskas.
A BNS journalist working at the court noted that Public Security Service and police officers prepared for riot suppression were on duty in the building. Only a few convicts came to the hall to hear the decision.
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Last year, the Vilnius City District Court convicted 84 out of 87 defendants in this case for riots, most of whom received suspended prison sentences.
The district court received a total of 67 appeals, most of which were written by the convicts. The prosecution appealed one acquittal and also wanted to toughen sentences for several convicts. The appellate court rejected the prosecution’s appeals.
Most of the convicts were also fined several thousand euros, which they will have to pay to the Victims of Crime Fund.
The total amount of contributions is about 142 thousand euros, and the damages awarded in this case under civil claims amount to more than 112 thousand euros.
A. Kandrotas is hiding abroad from the prison sentence imposed in another case. His European arrest warrant was issued in June. In August, the Ministry of Justice officially applied to Belarus for A. Kandrotas’s extradition to Lithuania.
As BNS wrote, the riots near the parliament building in Vilnius broke out on the evening of August 10, 2021, after a rally against government restrictions aimed at people without immunity to coronavirus and those unvaccinated.
In this case, 27 persons were recognized as victims, of whom 23 were police and Public Security Service officers.
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