Authorities in Latvia order antifascist Benes Ayo jailed in absentia

Comrade Benes Ayo Photo: Forward

“Let me remind you that in mid-April 2019 the Latvian State Security Service (the Latvian Gestapo formed by German fascists and their Latvian accomplices during the Nazi occupation of Latvia in 1941) opened three new cases on especially serious criminal and political articles: 77 (part 1), 88 (part 2) and 88 (part 3). The first article is for participating in hostilities in illegal armed groups in the ‘East of Ukraine.’ The second article is terrorism. The third article is the recruitment of individuals to carry out terrorist attacks. These are especially serious charges and taken together I face a life sentence. I believe that the new criminal cases fabricated against me in Latvia are a clear indication that Latvia is a fascist totalitarian state.

“When I received a summons from investigator Vishnevsky in April with an invitation to come to the security police and testify in three cases, I told him that I was in the DPR, in military service, and therefore I could not come to Latvia now to testify. But I invited investigator Vishnevsky to the DPR, where I could testify in the presence of my lawyers, as well as representatives of the UN and the OSCE and prove my innocence. But Vishnevsky did not come to the DPR. And the Latvian authorities, without my testimony, without my lawyers, in violation of all international law and human rights, without listening to me, without conducting any investigation, ordered me jailed in absentia! I consider such a trick of the Latvian regime as a flagrant mess and a violation of human rights! 

“I am sure that the Latvian authorities jailed me in absentia to intimidate the communists and supporters of the Russian world in Latvia. The anti-people Latvian junta is deathly afraid of the inevitable growth of protests by thousands of Russian residents (as well as many democratically-minded Latvians) against the destruction of Russian schools into a powerful Russian people’s liberation revolution, similar to what happened in Donbass in 2014. Therefore, the Latvian authorities tighten the screws and try to repress even us, the Latvian LPR-DPR militias, who provide information and political assistance to the Headquarters of the Defense of Russian Schools in Latvia.

“In addition to the above three cases, the Riga Vidzeme Suburb Court has a previous criminal case in which a measure of restraint in the form of arrest has already been applied to me. Let me remind you that on December 4, the consideration of cases brought against me under Articles 81, 82 and 83 was suspended, because at that time, according to the judge, I was “hiding from the investigation” (I was in the Donbass at that time). These are the criminal cases brought against me:

“1. For calls for the violent overthrow of the state, economic and constitutional system of Latvia.

“2. For calls for the liquidation of the independence of Latvia.

“3. Undermining the territorial integrity of Latvia.

“These criminal-political cases were brought against me in connection with my speeches at rallies and articles I wrote in Latvia, Simferopol, Donetsk and Lugansk, calling for the restoration of the USSR and criticism of the anti-people fascist regimes of Latvia and Ukraine.

“I am currently on Interpol’s international wanted list,” he said.

Source

Translated by Greg Butterfield