http://human-rights-lithuania.org/wordpress/?p=283
Kedys Case Keeps Escalating
The phenomenon of protesters gathering in Garliava, Kaunas district near Venckai house has received a lot of media and public attention. This spontaneous gathering of people from across Lithuania has received a lot of praise and criticism as well as raised questions in various society circles about the meaning and the purpose of such occurrence.
The outrage and anger of protestors has been caused after 14th of May, when Kedainiu district court ruled out to give the full custody of Kedys’s daughter to allegedly abusive mother L. Stankunaite. The judge B.Versackis commented that the ruling had to be executed immediately, on the same day.
In the video filmed by Mr Kedys, Deimantele confirmed that the mother had taken part and given consent to the sexual abuse sessions that took place in the hotel rooms as well as L. Stankunaite’s flat. Later, when Judge B. Versackis was asked to comment on the urgency of his decision, he stated that he didn’t have enough evidence on Ms Stankunaite’s involvement in the case.
Although this court ruling has been postponed by the Panevezys district court on the 20th of May, people have been left confused by the logic of the previous ruling and continue to protest in Garliava and around the world.
Interesting Facts about Kedys Case
The prosecution office states that Kedainiai district and not Kaunas district judge was chosen for this case in order to avoid bias decisions; however they could not explain the fact that Judge B. Versackis used to be a lawyer in Kaunas and was previously involved in some cases with N. Venckiene -girl’s aunt, who is a judge herself.
Judge B. Versackis could not explain why he did not take notice of the fact that in the official prosecutor’s files, it is stated that the alleged abuse had taken place in Stankunaite’s flat, which can indicate mother’s involvement.
Ms Stankunaite has not been made a formal suspect in this case until present. Both Ms Stankunaite and Mr Usas before Kedainiai court ruling and at present are constantly being guarded by the security, assigned by the government and have to keep changing flats. Judge B. Versackis could not explain how he sees fit for a traumatized little girl to live in these circumstances. Judge B. Versackis also could not comment why he took only 15 minutes to make his decision and did not take Child Protection officer’s report on mother’s suitability as a full custodian.
Both Mr Usas and Ms Stankunaite are being represented by the same lawyer N.Kraujutaitiene. This indicates a probable information exchange between the parties involved. So far, no one has expressed any conflict of interest objections or raised questions on this issue.
Last week the medical expert that was involved in examining Kedy’s body has been asked by the prosecution to act as a gynaecologist and examine little Deimantele. When the girl saw a grown older man asking her to undress and be examined, she started to scream and cry. The examination could not take place. No one from the prosecution raised any questions on the suitability of such person.
Deimantele has undergone 4 official psychological investigations. Although none of them has been made public yet, the word from the press as well as from independent psychologists indicate that the child has been sexually molested and is not inclined to vivid imagination and lies. The stories of the girl also indicate that the level of the abuse experienced from the main suspect businessman Mr Usas can be classified as rape, however the prosecution is refusing to change these charges.
The journalists have uncovered 4 official documents on Kedys’s post-mortem examination stating: freezing to death, heart disease, alcohol overdose and violent death. No one from the prosecution has commented on how the official version of choking on his stomach contents and not any other has been chosen. They have also not commented yet on N.Venckiene’s claims of seeing signs of violence on her brother’s body: bruises on his forehead, a blood trail on his face as well as a smashed cheekbone.
Kedys Acted Alone
On the 22nd of May, Lithuanian general prosecutor R. Petrauskas at the national press conference announced that after careful consideration and investigation, it is clear that for 2 murders of judge J. Furmanavicius and V.Naruseviciene is responsible D. Kedys. He acted alone and after committing these murders, he decided to hide in the surrounding forests of Kaunas, where he was found dead on the 18th of April, 2010 with the murder weapon beside him.
The prosecutor and his aid did not answer any questions and journalists were left wondering, how the prosecution could make these statements before the start of Mr Usas trial. The journalist also wondered why the main suspect A.Usas and the girls mother L. Stankunaite are still being provided with the full protection from the government if it was clear for the prosecution that Mr D. Kedys was the killer and is now deceased.
On the 27th of May, Mr Usas, the Special General Prosecutor for Corruption and Organised Crime A. Kliunka, Kedys’s aunt, some protestors from Garliava and various experts took part in a talk show ‘Valanda su Ruta’ http://vimeo.com/12090046. Mr Usas and the prosecutor sat together on one side and Kedys aunt with the experts on the other.
….’ the police is taking people from the crowd, one-by one, they bring them to the station and take statements and accuse people of breaching the law as well as state that it is not possible that we gathered here without being invited, bribed or without being influenced… Thursday was another day when the meeting with the mother had to take place. The police suggested that everyone, including us could follow the car, driven by the girl’s grandfather to the meeting place. As the convoy had started to move, the police cars blocked the road and the grandfather’s car got separated from us… We had to find other ways of getting to the meeting place. After we got there, the girl was already inside. We got upset, but the girl emerged later looking confused. She later said that she was OK…’.
Since then the government has announced about the plans for protection by the state security officers for the girl and Venckai house and the society still remains divided over this case. The protestors in Garliava keep promising to fight until the end.
This article has been put together based on various internet databases and Lithuanian newspapers: www.delfi.lt, www.15min.lt, www.kaunodiena.lt, www.laisvaslaikrastis.lt, www.lrytas.lt, www.tv3.lt, www.alfa.lt, www.lnk.lt to name but a few as well as witness statements from Garliava.
Edvardas Dakas
