MINSK, 28 May (BelTA) – Prosecutor General Andrei Shved has opened a criminal case into the incident involving a Belarusian state flag in Riga, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office told BelTA.
According to the source, after reviewing the information available in mass media and in the Internet about the grave crime committed against Belarus' interests, the prosecutor general opened a criminal case against Riga Mayor Martins Stakis and Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkevics. They are accused of deliberate actions meant to instigate racial strife on grounds of national affiliation in accordance with part 3, Article 130 of the Criminal Code of Belarus.
The criminal actions involved the public removal and replacement of the Belarusian state flag, which had been hoisted in the center of Riga due to the Belarusian team participating in the ice hockey world championship, with a white-red-white canvas.
The Prosecutor General's Office believes this desecration of the state symbol humiliated the national dignity of the Belarusians.
The criminal case has been forwarded to the Investigative Committee for a preliminary inquiry.
