The moment Czech police arrested Randy Blythe in a manslaughter investigation was the first time anyone involved with Lamb of God knew fan Daniel N had died after a show in 2010, says the band’s manager.
Blythe is still behind bars without charge in Prague, despite posting $200,000 bail for his release – and admin man Larry Mazer has been told another 20 days could pass before the frontman is allowed to leave.
Mazer tells Czech website Blesk: “Randy should be released immediately. His lawyer told us so. In the US he would have been – you post the bail and you’re free.
“Everybody is shocked. It’s absurd. It seems like a bad joke – Randy did nothing wrong. He is innocent.
“Nobody contacted us in the last two years. My contact information is publicly available but I never heard from the family. We didn’t even heard from the concert organiser. Nobody called us.
“The organiser now says the police contacted him three months after the boy died. I don’t understand why no one got in touch with us to let us know. He was in a coma and he died, and we never heard from anybody.”
Police authorities say they’d spoken to US officials but Mazer counters: “Do you think I would send the band to the Czech Republic to play a concert, knowing something like this could happen? No way.”
A Czech legal clerk has revealed Blythe is making the most of his time in jail by trying to learn the Mongol language.
Tomas Morysek says: “There’s a Mongol with him so Randy is learning some Mongolian phrases and the Mongol is picking up a few English words. He hasn’t complained about anything. He’s still quite confused about the whole thing.
“He was in complete shock. For two years he never knew someone had died. He had no chance to deal with it. I am convinced if he’d known about it, he wouldn’t have shied away from facing prosecution.
“In every other country the accused would have been released once bail had been met. Unfortunately this does not apply to Czech criminal code.”
Daniel N’s uncle has condemned the way Blythe’s case has been treated, saying he fears the musician will flee the country rather than face trial as a result of his experience. “It’s all about money,” says the relative. “The bail is ridiculous. But I just want justice for my nephew.”
Meanwhile, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of jailed Russian band Pussy Riot, has gone on hunger strike to protest again procedural unfairness in the band’s upcoming court hearing.
Three members of the collective were imprisoned after they staged a protest against Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in a church.
Tolokonnikova says she’s been given five law books to read before her trial begins – but she hadn’t been allowed time to read and understand them. The case is set to open tomorrow, but lawyer Mark Feigin has asked for it to be deferred until September 1.
The musicians were not allowed bail in a June hearing and face seven years behind bars if they’re found guilty of hooliganism. Before their arrest they said: “The state’s policy is based on a minimum of critical thinking and on a maximum of spite, and a desire to get even with those who don’t please it.”
Amnesty International have called for the trio’s release, insisting they’re political prisoners.
-Classic Rock Magazine
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