Lithuanian Court Extends Russian Citizen Mel's Prison Term To 10 Years

Lithuania's court of appeals announced on Wednesday that Russian citizen Yury Mel's prison term imposed for involvement in the 1991 riots case would be extended to 10 years, the Lithuanian radio reported

VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) Lithuania's court of appeals announced on Wednesday that Russian citizen Yury Mel's prison term imposed for involvement in the 1991 riots case would be extended to 10 years, the Lithuanian radio reported.

Mel's defense team condemned the decision of the Lithuanian court as unfair and announced plans to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court, his lawyer, Galina Kardanovskaya, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"I consider the ruling of the Lithuanian court to extend the term of imprisonment for the Russian citizen Mel to 10 years to be unfair," the lawyer said.

Preparations for an appeal to the Supreme Court can take up to three months.

Mel, a former Russian army officer, was detained in 2014 in Lithuania. In March 2019, he and more than 60 other Russian citizens were found guilty of killings during the clashes that rocked Vilnius in January 1991 in the wake of the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Mel was sentenced to seven years in prison. As the former officer was first detained in 2014, he was supposed to be freed this year. However, the Lithuanian prosecutor general's office demanded extending the prison term.