In In Latvia, the Kurzeme District Court sentenced Valery Lazarev, accused of attacking a young man with a Ukrainian flag, to two years of actual imprisonment.
As European Pravda writes, the Delfi portal reports this.
The court of first instance previously found Lazarev guilty and awarded him a suspended prison sentence under Art. 55 of the Criminal Law. Having considered the appeal, the district court overturned the verdict of the Riga City Court on the application of a suspended sentence.
The full decision of the district court will be available on April 23, and after that it can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
As reported, the court of first instance sentenced Lazarev to two years of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of two years, but the victim filed an appeal, in connection with which the case was considered in the district court.
Last summer, the prosecutor's office brought charges against Lazarev for assaulting a young man, 200 hours of community service. This punishment was applied in accordance with the agreement, since the accused admitted guilt and paid the necessary compensation for moral damage to the victim – 6034 euros.
However, the victim’s lawyer appealed the prosecutor’s decision, the Prosecutor General’s Office canceled his decision and the criminal trial was resumed.
The incident occurred on May 20, 2022, when a procession “For liberation from the Soviet legacy” took place from the Freedom Monument to Uzvaras Park in Pardaugava. ;. After the procession, Lazarev drove a BMW car near the event site. He stopped the car and inflicted bodily injuries on a guy born in 2003, who had a Ukrainian flag draped over his shoulder.
Despite the fact that the BMW then fled the scene, it was established that the attacker – Valery Lazarev, born in 1984, who had previously come to the attention of the police.
Next to the attacker in the car during the incident was police officer Anastasia Tsvirko. She was charged with inaction in another case. The police officer was dismissed from service.
The Riga City Court fined Tsvirko 9,300 euros, but she appealed the verdict and now the case is also in the Kurzeme District Court, which plans to consider it on June 12.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich