Mikhail Pishcheuski, who was maimed for life by aa aggressively disposed passer-by in May 2014, passed away in a hospital in Minsk.
“Misha, we miss you. We love you as much as before. We will remember you. Always…” Syarhei Androsenka, a former lader of human rights project ‘GayBelarus’, said on Facebook.
On 25 May 2014, Mikhail Pishcheuski was attacked by Dzmitry Lukashevich near Underworld cafe in Minsk. Pishcheuski’s sexual orientation became the reason for the attack: the blow was so strong that Mikhail fell down and his head struck against concrete cover. Having realised that the victim was badly hurt Lukashevich and his companions left the scene.
The medics found Pishcheuski in a critical state. He slipped into a coma. Approximately 20% of his brain had to be cut in the course of a number of surgeries.
When the offender stood trial, the judge considered his actions as ‘serious bodily assault by recklessness’ and sentenced Mr Lukashevich to 2 years and 8 months in a medium-security penal colony.
Read also: Journalists attacked in court as gay hate crime case tried
The judge failed to to determine that the crime is a premeditated serious bodily assault and did not take cognizance of the state prosecutor’s offer to sentence the defendant to 7 years of imprisonment. Reconsidering the case, he also refused to admit that the crime had been motivated by hatred of gays.
“At trial the murderer agreed that he started bullying Misha over his suspected homosexuality, but the court decided the had been done only due to ‘recklessness’. This indicates that the motive of hatred is not an aggravating factor when a crime is committed against gays. Dzmitry Lukashevich hardly spent a year in prison for a gay hate murder; [former Belarusian political prisoner] Statkevich served 7 years in various colonies and jails – that is the real face of the Belarusian justice,” Syarhei Androsenka told belsat.eu.
In August 2015, Dzmitry Lukashevich was granted amnesty and released.
Belsat.eu
