Lukashenka not invited to Lithuania unless a “turn in Uskhopchyk’s case”

Dalia Grybauskaite is not going to invite Lukashenka to marking an anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence unless progress is demonstrated in the case of General Uskhopcyk.

This was said by president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite on February 18.

“What to invitation of Lukashenka, we need a turn in Uskhopchyk’s case. If we see it, we’ll discuss the matter,” the Lithuanian leader said.

However, the Lithuanian head of state said Lithuania didn’t have a legal ground to demand extradition of Uskhopchyk from Belarus, DELFI informs.

“I have conclusions of our prosecutors. There are some things prosecutor’s office doesn’t tell to public. For example, I was very interested in the sentence “under the acting bilateral agreement, Lithuania doesn’t have a legal ground to demand extradition of Uskhopchyk, a Belarusian national,” Dalia Grybauskaite said.

The Lithuanian leader said in this regard: “If the agreement doesn’t provide for this opportunity, what have prosecutors done for 20 years? Simulated activity? Sent requests knowing that he can’t be extradited?”

The Lithuanian president noted earlier a decision of extradition of Uskhopchyk was political, the issue could be solved at negotiations with Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

We remind, the Lithuanian law-enforcement bodies suspect Belarusian national Uladzimir Uskhopchyk of having ordered to open fire on civilians in Vilnius.

General Uladzimir Uskhopchyk was commander of the Vilnius garrison during the events of January 13, 1991. 14 persons were killed in Vilnius then and more than a thousand were injured during storming of the TV tower and the Lithuanian TV and Radio office by the Soviet army. There was a period when Uskhopchyk was appointed deputy minister of defence of Belarus.