The author of the comic petition on the accession of Latvia to Russia received six months prison

The court of the Kurzemsky district of Riga sentenced Maxim Kopteelov, who published a petition on the Internet on the accession of Latvia to Russia on the Internet. The joker received a real prison term - six months.

According to Leta , citing lawyer Ilon Bulgakov, a full court decision will appear on March 11. The defense intends to appeal the verdict, as he considers him "shame for Latvia."

"I believe that this is a shame for Latvia and this punishment is too harsh. It will be necessary to see what the court was guided by. This is a very bad precedent associated with the restriction of freedom of speech. Call (to the alleged violation of the country's territorial integrity - approx. Newsru.com ) should be concrete and unequivocal when it is clear that a person really calls for state independence and wants it. In case of evidence, all this is unconvincing, ”Bulgakova explained.

Maxim Koptelov published an appeal to the inhabitants of Latvia with an appeal to collect signatures for the entry of the country in the Russian Federation in March 2014. He was supported by more than 7 thousand people.

"If Latvia again joins the Russian Federation, all the inhabitants of the Latvian Republic open huge development prospects, much larger than with the current stay in the European Union. The level of salaries, pensions and benefits will also become more favorable for living. If our opinion does not coincide with yours, then sorry, each person has the right to express his thoughts (freedom of speech)," it was said, - it was said. handling.

It is noteworthy that at the end of his appeal, his author recognized the playful character of his act: “Seriously, this document. And if anyone has a poorly developed sense of humor, then we are very condolenced by this person,” he added.

Last spring, the prosecutor's office of the Riga Judicial District brought against the joker an accusation of a public call to eliminate the country's independence. He was threatened with a fine, forced labor or a prison term of up to three years. The personality of Koptelov was able to establish only a year after the appearance of the petition in the network.

As TV Net notes, the Latvian security police, which investigated the high -profile case, came to the conclusion that the author of the appeal was fully aware of the consequences of his actions.

It should be noted that the prosecutor’s office demanded not only a six -month imprisonment for the joker, but also the premises for special police supervision for a period of two years.

Earlier it was reported that the author of the scandalous petition was also noted by other Internet provocations. So, he pointed to his Facebook page, which is a police officer, while posting photographs and notes in which he openly expressed his pro -Russian position and support for the self -proclaimed republics of the DPR and LPR. The leadership of the Latvian police had to publicly refute the information that the account was conducted by one of the law enforcement officials.